| Hemiauchenia | |
|---|---|
| |
| A life restoration and size comparsion of Hemiauchenia macrocephala | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Camelidae |
| Tribe: | Lamini |
| Genus: | †Hemiauchenia Gervais & Ameghino, 1880 |
| Referred species | |
Hemiauchenia is a genus of lamine camelids that evolved in North America in the Miocene period approximately 10 million years ago. This genus diversified and moved to South America in the early Pleistocene as part of the Great American Interchange, giving rise to modern lamines. The genus became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.
Remains of these species have been found in assorted locations around North America including: Florida, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Mexico, California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, and Washington. The "large-headed llama", Hemiauchenia macrocephala, was widely distributed in North and Central America, with Hemiauchenia vera being known from the western U. S. and northern Mexico. Hemiauchenia minima has been found in Florida, and Hemiauchenia guanajuatensis in Mexico.
