Scientific Classification
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Camelus
Species: bactrianus (Bactrian camel)
Species: dromedarius (dromedary camel)
Quick Facts
Life
span: Median
life expectancy is 17.8 years
Gestation: 12 to 14 months,
depending on species
Number
of young at birth: 1, rarely 2
Age
of maturity: Females, 3 years; males, 5 to 7 years
Size: Bactrian - 10 to 11.5
feet (3.2 to 3.5 meters) long
Size: Dromedary - 7.2 to 11.2
feet (2.2 to 3.4 meters) long
Size: Bactrian - 5.2 to 5.9
feet (1.6 to 1.8 meters) tall at shoulder
Size: Dromedary – 5.9 to 6.6
feet (1.8 to 2 meters) tall at shoulder
Weight: Bactrian - 990 to 1,100
pounds (450 to 500 kilograms)
Weight: Dromedary – 880 to 1,320
(400 to 600 kilograms)
Weight
at birth: Bactrian - 70 to 75 pounds (32 to 34 kilograms)
Weight
at birth: Dromedary – 57 to 114 pounds (26 to 52 kilograms)
Fun Facts
- Camels store fat, not water, in their humps to tide them over on long walks through the desert when there is not much to eat.
- Camels originated in North America.
- Camels make a rumbling growl that was one of the noises used to create Chewbacca's voice in the "Star Wars" movies!
Range: Wild Bactrian camels in China and Mongolia; dromedary
camels currently in domestic situations only but were probably once native to
North Africa and the Middle East.
Habitat: Desert, prairie, and steppe
Ships
of the desert
Camels were domesticated more than 3,000
years ago, and to this day, humans depend on them for transport across arid
environments. They can easily carry an extra 200 pounds (90 kilograms) while
walking 20 miles (32 kilometers) a day in the harsh desert. Camels can travel
as fast as horses but can also endure legendary periods of time without food or
water. Humans have used camels for their wool, milk, meat, leather, and even
dung, which can be used for fuel. The dromedary camel, also known as the
Arabian camel, exists today only as a domesticated animal. About 90 percent of
the world’s camels are dromedaries. There are two types of Bactrian camels:
wild and domesticated. Wild Bactrian camels are much trimmer, with smaller
humps and less hair, than domesticated Bactrian camels.
One
hump or two?
The dromedary camel has one hump and the
Bactrian camel has two. What’s the easiest way to remember the names? Think of
the capital letter D lying on its side with just one hump: D stands for
dromedary. Now think of the capital letter B on its side with two humps: B for
Bactrian! But what’s in those humps? They store fat, not water. The fat becomes
an energy source for the camel. The length of time a camel can survive on this
stored energy depends on climate and the animal’s activity levels. The size of
the hump can change, depending on the amount of food the camel eats. When food
is scarce, the camel’s body uses the fat stored in the hump, causing the hump
to lean over and droop. A camel can go a week or more without water, and it can
last for several months without food. It can survive a 40 percent weight loss
and then drink up to 32 gallons (145 liters) of water in one drinking session!
At
home in the sand
Swirling desert sand can be a problem for
most of us, but camels have special adaptations for the pesky stuff. A thin nictitating
membrane on each eye, like a clear inner eyelid, protects the eyes from
sandstorms while still letting in enough light for camels to see. Double rows
of extra-long eyelashes also help keep sand out of the eyes. And camels can
close their nostrils to keep sand out of their nose, too! Their large, broad
feet are heavily callused; they expand when stepped on and contract when lifted
to simplify walking in sand or snow.
Hot
and cold
Bactrian camels, native to the Gobi Desert in
China and the Bactrian steppes of Mongolia, grow a shaggy coat in the winter
for protection from the freezing cold and shed the coat during the hot summer.
These camels can survive a wide range of temperatures, from minus 20 degrees
Fahrenheit (minus 29 degrees Celsius) to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees
Celsius)! Domesticated dromedary camels are found throughout desert areas in
North Africa and the Middle East. A feral population of dromedary camels lives
in Australia. The camels were imported in the 19th century as pack animals and
were used to cross the vast desert regions there.
The
spitting image
Do
camels really spit? Yes, and it’s most unpleasant. They aren’t actually
spitting, though—it’s more like throwing up! They bring up the contents of
their stomach, along with saliva, and project it out. This is meant to
surprise, distract, or bother whatever the camel feels is threatening it. You
can tell if a camel is about to spit: its cheeks fill up and bulge. You’d think
a large animal like a camel would be safe from predators, but it is known that
Bactrian camels have been attacked at water holes by wolves.
Food
in the desert
Camels are diurnal and spend their day
eating. They are very clever at finding food in their harsh desert environment.
Each half of the split upper lip moves independently, so camels can get near
the ground for eating short grass. These tough but flexible lips can break off
and eat vegetation such as thorns or salty plants; they even eat fish. Camels
are ruminants, like cows, and they regurgitate the food back up from their
stomach to chew it again. When they do that, smelly gasses come up as well,
making for some pretty potent breath! At the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo
Safari Park, the camels are offered Bermuda and Sudan hay and herbivore
pellets.
Say what?!
Highly social, camels live in herds with a
dominant adult male; males that have been chased out of the group form bachelor
herds. They make many sounds, including moaning and groaning sounds,
high-pitched bleats, loud bellows, and rumbling roars. Mothers and their
newborns hum to each other. A friendly way one camel may greet another is by
blowing in its face. Various positions of the head, neck, ears, and tail have
different meanings in camel society, too. For example, ears forward indicates
alertness; the tail curled over the back is a sign of submission.
Baby
humps
When
she is about a give birth, an expectant mother removes herself from the herd
and finds a private area covered with vegetation for her calving spot. After a
gestation of 12 to 14 months, a newborn camel is able to walk beside the mother
within half an hour. The calf has no humps but small peaks of hide, each topped
with a tassel of curly hair to indicate where the humps will form. Mother and
young return to the herd in about two weeks. Camel calves nurse for 10 to 18
months, depending on species and the availability of food. They do not reach
full adult size until about age seven.
Conservation
Humans have used camels since ancient
times. They were even brought to the US in the mid-1800s as a potential source
of transportation across the West, as well as a replacement for beef cattle.
Today, if the nomads of Africa’s Saharan region continue their traditional way
of life, they will need the dromedary camels for milk, wool, and transport.
Bactrian camels, however, are at critical risk, facing a decline in the wild as
they are hunted for sport or killed because they compete with domestic camels
and livestock for grazing and watering spots. They are also hunted for their
meat. Their habitat is also being taken over by illegal mining operations.
There are currently about 650 Bactrian camels in China and about 450 in
Mongolia. The Wild Camel Protection Foundation was established in 1997 and has
set up a natural reserve in China for wild Bactrian camels.
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