Unique for Central Europe is the evidence of a completely preserved camel skeleton uncovered in a large refuse pit. 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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 The article „A sunken ship of the desert at the river Danube in Tulln, Austria", by Alfred Galik, Elmira Mohandesan, Gerhard Forstenpointner, Ute Maria Scholz, Emily Ruiz, Martin Krenn and Pamela Burger was published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0121235. Introduction Prior to the construction of a shopping center, excavations rescued the archaeological heritage of Tulln (Fig. An abandoned cellar associated with this plot yielded the most extraordinary find of a complete skeleton originating from a large animal. Large mammal uncovered during excavations in Tulln 
 
 "The partly excavated skeleton was at first suspected to be a large horse or cattle," says archaeozoologist Alfred Galik from the Institute for Anatomy, Histology and Embryology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121235.g001 Archaeological camel finds in Central Europe are not as unusual as one may expect covering a chronological span from Roman period till early modern age [4]. Isolated bones or partly preserved skeletons are known from Mauerbach near Vienna as well as from Serbia and Belgium. It is the first complete camel skeleton found in Central Europe and Central European territories under the control of the Ottoman Empire [6,7,8,9,10,11,12], apart from the complete skeleton of a dromedary recovered from the sediments of the Theodosius harbor on the European part of Istanbul [13]. A coin - a so-called "Rechenpfenning" - from the time of Louis XIV dates the find to the years between 1643 and 1715. A medicinal bottle made of lead contained the remedy “Theriacum” produced in the chemist’s shop “Apotheke zur Goldenen Krone” (approximately 1628/1665) in Vienna. The sexual dimorphism also effects the discrimination of camel remains [35] as male dromedaries are about 10% heavier and 10 cm taller at shoulder height [36,37]. However, castrated camels are easier to handle and more effective as working animals and in meat production [34,38]. Crossbreeding probably took first place in Assyria at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC [42] and this technique continued over Antiquity towards the modern times [4,34]. Obviously, such hybrids were of great importance in the Ottoman troops mainly for transportation but also as riding animals [43,44,45]. The morphological features incorporate characteristics of both species, confirmed by the results of the nuclear DNA analyses as the Tulln-specimen turned out to be an F 1 hybrid Tulu with a dromedary in its maternal and evidences of a Bactrian camel in its paternal line. As the camel died the citizens of Tulln did not exploit this alien animal, which the soldiers of the Ottoman troops certainly would have done. at 
 
 Scientific Contact (archaeozoology): 
 
 Dr. Alfred Galik 
 
 Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology 
 
 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) 
 
 T +43 1 25077-2521 
 
 alfred.galik@vetmeduni.ac.at 
 
 Scientific Contact (genetics): 
 
 Elmira Mohandesan, PhD 
 
 Institute of Population Genetics 
 
 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) 
 
 T +43 681 815 033 12 
 
 elmira.mohandesan@vetmeduni.ac.at 
 
 Released by: 
 
 Susanna Kautschitsch 
 
 Science Communication / Public Relations 
 
 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) 
 
 T +43 1 25077-1153 
 
 susanna.kautschitsch@vetmeduni.ac.at
– The study on the Austrian find calls it a "sunken ship of the desert" and an "exotic animal." What exactly was found in a cellar containing centuries-old trash during excavations for a planned shopping center in Tulln: the full skeleton of a 17th-century camel. That a complete skeleton was found is unique, but the presence of camel bones is less so: The Ottoman army used the creatures for transportation and, in some cases, food, and their bones have been found in the region. But the completeness of the skeleton shows "the animal was not killed and then butchered," says archaeozoologist and study author Alfred Galik in a press release. He suggests it may have been traded or left behind by the troops, possibly following their siege of Vienna in 1683, reports the BBC. The locals "did not exploit this alien animal" for food upon its death, as the Ottoman troops "certainly would have done," write the authors in the study, published in PLOS One. "Exploitation of camel flesh especially in times of need was absolutely necessary," and the regularity with which that happened is "a reason for the scarce preservation of camel finds in general." What researchers were able to glean from this find: The male camel was the hybrid offspring of a female dromedary and male Bactrian camel and probably castrated, which would have made him easier to handle. Crossbreeding, which was not unusual for the time, made for larger animals that "were especially suited for military use," Galik explains. To wit, the study points to bone defects that indicate the animal was harnessed and ridden, reports the BBC. (Oil workers recently made a big find in Siberia.)