Camel
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| Camel | ||||||||||||
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 Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius
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Camels are mammals of the Camelidae family. Camels form the genus Camelus. They are also called Afro-Asiatic Camelids. There are two living species of camels.
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[change] Taxonomy and appearance
- Genus Camelus
- Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius
- Bactrian Camel, Camelus bactrianus
A dromedary has one hump on its back. A Bactrian camel has two humps on its back.
Dromedaries came from North Africa and the Greater Middle East region. Bactrian Camels originally lived in eastern Asia such as Pakistan.
[change] Habitat and adaptation
Camels live in deserts, lands that are hot and dry. Camels have adaptations that help them live in deserts. A camel has a thick coat of hair that protects it from the sun. A camel has wide, soft feet, so it can walk a long time in the hot sand.
A camel can live about a week without water and several months without food. Several adaptations help a camel save water. When there is food and water, a camel can eat and drink large amounts and store it as fat in the hump. Then, when there is no food or water, the camel uses the fat for energy, and the hump becomes small and soft. A camel’s waste contains very little water. Even the water from the camel’s breath flows back into its mouth.
A camel has a naturally adapted thermostat - it can change its bodily temperature by 6 degrees centigrade either way. It has 2 sets of eyelashes, closing muscles in the nasal passages with slited nostrils, hairy ears and tough, leathery skin to protect the camels skin in vital emergencies i.e a sandstorm. It has thick rubbery lips to eat dry, prickly plants and a large, haired tail to swat pests such as mosquitos and flies.
It has a long slender neck in order to reach high leaves i.e palm trees and rubbery patches on the belly and knees to protect the skin when kneeling and sitting on the scorching sand. These form after 5 years of age.
[change] Life
Camels live in groups, with one male, several females, and their young children.
[change] Reproduction
A female can only carry a young at time, called a "calf". After 360-440 days (about 13 months) of pregnancy the female gives birth to one baby. When they are born, they can start running in only a few hours. The calf's eyes are open at birth, and a thick, woolly coat covers its body. The calf drinks milk for up to 1-2 years.
Camels become mature when they are 3-5 years old, and they can become 40-50 years old.
[change] Diet
In the desert, people feed camels with grass, grains, wheat and oats. When they are travelling (in the desert), food is often very hard to find. So the animal might have to live on dried leaves, seedsand thorny twigs (without hurting their mouths). If there isn't any food, camels will eat anything: bones, fish, meat, leather, even their owner's tent.
[change] Digestion
Camels are ruminants. But its stomach has three sections instead of four. Camels don't chew their food very well before swallowing. The first stomach stores the food that is not chewed very well. Later, the food or cud returns to the camel's mouth, and the camel chews it. Afterwards, the chewed food is swallowed and goes to the other parts of the stomach to be completely digested.
[change] Camels and Humans
Camels have been domesticated by humans for about 5000 years. They are used for riding and to carry things, and for meat, milk and wool.
As domesticated animals they are used in Africa, Asia, and since the 19th century also in Australia. About 900-1000 wild Bactrian Camels still live in China and Mongolia. There are no wild Dromedaries anymore, but there are escaped domestic Dromedaries in Australia. Today there are about 50,000 Dromedaries living wild in the Outback in Australia.
A Dromedary and a Bactrian Camel can have hybrid children that are called Tulus or Bukhts. These hybrids are larger than the Dromedary or Bactrian Camel, and have either one long hump or one small and one big hump.
When a camel calf reaches one year of age, the owner often teaches it to stand and kneel on command. They also learn to carry small, light packs around. As they grow older, the size of the pack also increases.
[change] Gallery
 Bactrian camel |
 Bactrian Camel |
 Dromedary |
 A Turkmen man with his dromedary, circa 1905-1915 in Turkmenistan. |
 Two camels used for riding. |
[change] Other websites
