Where Have California’s Camels Gone?

We’ve seen how the overpopulation of introduced mules and wild horses have overgrazed and even decimated some wildland and rangeland habitats in California. But did you know that camels originated in North America millions of years ago, migrated, and then disappeared here during the last glacial advance only about 15,000 years ago? Humans reintroduced them during the 1800s until they again disappeared from California landscapes.

Here, we introduce you to Stacey Beckwith and her fascinating camel research project. 

The U.S. Camel Corps

Thanks again to Dr. Jing Liu who supervised this latest map story.