Morel's Camel
Camelus moreli
🐫
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Camelidae
Camelus moreli
The Giant Syrian Camel — Camelus moreli was a large prehistoric camel that roamed the grasslands of what is now Syria during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. Known from fossils found in the El Kowm Basin, it represents one of the few extinct camel species native to the Levant rather than North Africa.
Description
Camelus moreli — This enormous extinct camel stood up to 3 m at the shoulder and reached 4 m in height, making it one of the tallest known camelids. Weighing nearly 1,000 kg, it inhabited the semi-arid landscapes of central Syria around 50,000–100,000 years ago. Its fossils were discovered alongside Mousterian stone tools, suggesting it may have been observed or even hunted by early humans in the region.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1100
2.2
3.3
3.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
At the El Kowm Basin site in central Syria, fossils of Camelus moreli were discovered in direct association with Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tools, indicating that early humans—likely Neanderthals or early Homo sapiens—inhabited the area when these giant camels lived.
Other nearby archaeological sites in Syria support human presence during the same general time period:
Hummal (El Kowm region) – The primary site where Camelus moreli was found, dated approximately 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, with Mousterian artifacts.
Dederiyeh Cave (northwest Syria) – A Neanderthal child burial found here is dated to about 50,000 years ago, indicating widespread Neanderthal presence in Syria during this period.
Umm el Tlel (El Kowm Basin) – Another Mousterian site dated to around 55,000 years ago, showing repeated occupation by early hominins in the same desert basin as the camel remains.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
100000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Syria
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
50
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat (when present), visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4