The genus Camelops first appeared during the middle Pliocene (about 4.0–3.2 million years ago (Mya) in southern North America and became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene (around 10,000 years ago). Despite the fact that camels are popularly associated with the deserts of Asia and Africa, the family Camelidae, which comprises camels and llamas, originated in North America during the middle Eocene period, at least 44 Mya.[5] Both the camel and horse families originated in the Americas and migrated into Eurasia via the Bering Strait.[6] Modern camels are descended from the extinct genus Paracamelus, which probably crossed the Bering land bridge into Asia between 7.5 and 6.5 Mya.