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. 2015 Apr 1;10(4):e0121235.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121235. eCollection 2015.

A sunken ship of the desert at the river Danube in Tulln, Austria

Alfred Galik  1 , Elmira Mohandesan  2 , Gerhard Forstenpointner  1 , Ute Maria Scholz  3 , Emily Ruiz  2 , Martin Krenn  4 , Pamela Burger  2
Affiliations

A sunken ship of the desert at the river Danube in Tulln, Austria

Alfred Galik et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Rescue excavations recovered a skeleton that resurrect the contemporary dramatic history of Austria in the 17th century as troops besieged Vienna in the second Osmanic-Habsburg war. Unique for Central Europe is the evidence of a completely preserved camel skeleton uncovered in a large refuse pit. The male individual of slender stature indicates a few but characteristic pathological changes revealing not a beast of burden but probably a valuable riding animal. Anatomical and morphometrical analyses suggest a hybrid confirmed by the ancient DNA analyses resulting in the presence of a dromedary in the maternal and a Bactrian camel in the paternal line.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. In situ view of the camel in the cellar.
Inserted map indicates the geographical position of the town Tulln in Austria with a triangle.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Reconstructed Tulu cranium of the Tulln specimen.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Left metacarpus: a) in dorsal- and b) in palmar view, right metacarpus: c) in dorsal- and d) in palmar view.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Left metatarsus: a) in dorsal- and b) in plantar view, right metatarsus: c) in dorsal- and d) in plantar view.
Fig 5
Fig 5. a) Left anterior phalanges in 1) palmar- and 2) dorsal view, b) right anterior phalanges in 1) palmar- and 2) dorsal view.
Fig 6
Fig 6. a) Left posterior phalanges in 1) plantar- and 2) dorsal view, b) right posterior phalanges in 1) plantar- and 2) dorsal view.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Bivariate scatterplots of radius, metacarpus, femur and metatarsus indicating size and robustness of the Tulln specimen by greatest length (GL) and smallest diameter of the shaft (SD) in comparison to data obtained from Steiger [17].
Fig 8
Fig 8. Left and right scapulae, enlarged view of both anguli caudales depict symmetrically formed pathological bone depositions on the medial side.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Symmetrical lesions at the distal end of the Tuberculum intermedium on left and right humeri.
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References

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