What if the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelops survived extinction? Would Native Americans domesticate this animal? How would the European colonisation of the Americas be affected?
WI: North American camels (camelops) survive?
- Thread starter Bobbbcat2
- Start date
Would be interesting to have elephant sized camels surviving in NA alongside bisons . Would most likely have been hunted.
kholieken
Banned
A lot of Animals never domesticated, so simply camelops survival is no guarantee of domestication.
It will have near zero effect on European colonizations. If it domesticated, it will be part of conquered native culture. If it wild, it will not affect Europeans. neither llama nor bison affect Europeans that much.
It will have near zero effect on European colonizations. If it domesticated, it will be part of conquered native culture. If it wild, it will not affect Europeans. neither llama nor bison affect Europeans that much.
WI they are domesticated AND pass a dissease to humans, against which Amerindians eventualy developp immunity, but when Europeans arrive, they have no defense against such dissease?
kholieken
Banned
It will add one more disease that kill Europeans, like syphilis, but its effect will be minimal :
- number of domesticated animals in one place add possibility of crossing species. But North American had very few number of domesticated animals, limiting number of disease.
- The one who would develop immunity is society that keep camelops, other society (Andes farmer, Amazonian, Caribbean fisher, NA hunter-gatherer) would not develop immunity, so only small number of Amerindians would be immunes.
- Genetically Afro-Eurasians had much more diverse immune system.
- Eurasians had much more domesticated animals, so more disease living among its populartions.
- number of domesticated animals in one place add possibility of crossing species. But North American had very few number of domesticated animals, limiting number of disease.
- The one who would develop immunity is society that keep camelops, other society (Andes farmer, Amazonian, Caribbean fisher, NA hunter-gatherer) would not develop immunity, so only small number of Amerindians would be immunes.
- Genetically Afro-Eurasians had much more diverse immune system.
- Eurasians had much more domesticated animals, so more disease living among its populartions.
Considering that they probably contributed to the extinction of Camelops in a significant level, you have the answer = NO.
Lusitania
Donor
In addition, we can also assume that the reasons for the Camelops extinction were the same reasons other animals also present at same time were also extinct. So a POD that would of resulted in the animal surviving would of led to other animals from same period surviving also. Be they climate, human hunting or other and combination of all the above.
If domesticated, they might be used for transportation and possibly create long-range trade networks.
Probably the cause of the Holocene extinction of megafauna in the Americas (as well as in other parts of the World) was a combination of climate changes and human pressure.
It's not casual that only the species which were used to human coexistence (bison, gray wolf, deer etc.) due to their Eurasian origin survived this extinction wave, with the sole exception of the American antelope because it was probably too fast for the human hunters.