Camelops - Walmart Camel

The Walmart camel is the fossil of a prehistoric camel (Camelops sp.) found at a Walmart construction site in Mesa, Arizona in 2007. Workers digging a hole for an ornamental citrus tree found the bones of two (juvenile and infant) animals that may have lived as long as 10,000 years ago. Arizona State University Geology Museum curator Brad Archer calls it an important and rare find for the area. Walmart officials and Greenfield Citrus Nursery owner John Babiarz whose crew discovered the remains agreed that the bones will go directly to the Geology Museum at Arizona State University where further research and restoration of the fossils could be done. Camels lived in what is now Arizona until about 8,000 years ago. More camel bones were found in Gilbert, Arizona in May 2008.