Aepycamelus was a
prairie dweller of
North America (
Colorado, etc.). It was a highly specialized animal. Its head was relatively small compared with the rest of its body, its neck was long, as a result of
giraffe-like lengthening of the
cervical vertebrae, and its legs were long and stilt-like, with the elbow and knee joints on the same level. The top of its head was about above the ground. Its strange body structure gives information on its mode of life and habits.
Aepycamelus obviously inhabited dry
grasslands with groups of trees. It is presumed to have moved about singly or in small groups, like today's giraffes, and like them, browsed high up in the trees. In this respect, it had no competitors. It survived a relatively long time, through most of the Miocene epoch, and died out prior to the start of the
Pliocene, possibly due to climatic changes. ==Fossil distribution==