Known as the “Ship of the Desert” for its rolling gait, the camel is almost the only possible form of transport in the desert, as it can survive for months on very little food or water, and also provides milk, meat, and wool, and is both a pack animal and a mount. Essentially, camels have lived and thrived in some of the harshest conditions and places on earth where most other large animals could not survive. One of the most amazing facts about camels is that they have made good use of their hardiness and are able to avoid predators by living in arid conditions including deserts and mountains and in wildlife where survival of the fittest is the order of the day these days they are able to use the available resources without much competition.
Camel Facts – General
1 – There are only two “true” camels, the two-humped Bactrian of Central Asia and the one-humped dromedary of the Middle East and Africa; The other four so-called camels, vicuna, guanaco, alpaca, and llama, all of South America, although members of the Camelidae family, are only close relatives.
2 – A fun way to remember which camel is which Imagine the capital letter of each name on the camel’s back – a one-humped “D” for Dromedary and a double-humped “B” for Bactrian!
3 – One of the many possible derivations of the word “camel” comes from Arabic “mal” meaning “beauty”; others meaning variations of ‘work’ include Latin (camelus), Greek (kamēlos), Hebrew/Phoenician (gāmāl) and another Arabic word, jamala, meaning to bear or endure – fitting for an animal living 500 -1000 can carry 230-450 kg of cargo if needed for 48 km (30 miles) per day – the Bedouin walk an average of 20 km (12 miles) per day so as not to overload them.
4 – The Bactrian camel is in the wild and the dromedary is already – the dromedary population of approximately 12.8 million is fully captive or properly domesticated. A few hundred of the 1.4 million Bactrian camels are still wild in the Gobi Desert (the rest are domesticated), and a wild population of around 700,000 animals (and their growth) in Australia is rapidly reaching vermin proportions.
6 – The camels in Australia are Bactrians, who were introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century to carry explorers, later surveyors and road/rail builders with their luggage on their journeys into the interior of the desert. There were about 20,000,000 camels there by the time they were transporting settlers and traders and all their various goods in the 1920s and by 1930 they were no longer needed.
Now ignored, they went feral and lived quietly happily in the dry and arid areas that cover most of Australia, breeding rampant as it were – hence the feral population which is now taking all food from the native animals and is becoming a huge problem!
Camel Facts – Characteristics
7 – The reason for the rolling gait that gives the camel its nickname “ship of the desert” is that, unlike most mammals, the camel moves its front and back legs simultaneously on the same side, and then repeats with the other side, like so that it rocks rhythmically. To-side mode like a ship at sea (and seasick just as easily!).
8 – Camels stand up to 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m at the shoulder (7 ft 1 in / 2.15 m including the hump), 40-50 years old, can reach 65 km/h or 40 km in short hops / h run fast h) for longer periods and weigh 300–1,000 kg (660–2,200 lb), sometimes more. Dromedaries are larger than Bactrians.
10 – The camel has two main adaptations that enable it to survive so well in the desert; oval-shaped red blood cells that keep flowing when dehydrated like ours, instead of clumping together, and the ability to withstand massive dehydration that would kill most animals (then drink lots of water and rehydrate easily and quickly). Most mammals can only endure a 12-14% reduction in fluid intake through sweating before dying – the camel can endure more than 25%, even for extended periods.
11 – They have minor adjustments to their feet. Their feet are spread wide and have a pad of fat on their backs that allows them to walk almost silently and stand on the sand. Natural callus pads on the chest and legs ensure they are comfortable when kneeling on hot sand.
Their body has a thick light-colored coat that insulates them from the radiant heat of the sand and reflects glare, the hump itself as mentioned above, and the ability to vary their own temperature between 34°C and 40°C to match ambient temperatures of up to withstand 49ºC (120ºF) without sweating too much – or dying, which would be the result of such massive changes in any other animal.
12 – Unsurprisingly, the amount of water camel allows to be wasted in feces is minimal; its intestines and kidneys absorb so much water, the camel’s urine is a thick syrup, and its feces so dry that the Bedouins collect them for fire fuel.
Camel facts – behavior
14 – You don’t want to upset a camel. Yes, really. When angry or frightened, they “spit out” a mixture of saliva and stomach acid/contents that is extremely smelly – and there can be a lot of it! Now you’ve learned one of these new facts about camels.
They also have 34 very sharp teeth, very large feet on very long legs and a very long neck which gives them an exceptional range that they can all use without hesitation!
15 – Camels are true omnivores, just like us and although they usually enjoy browsing desert plants, they will eat anything from fish and meat to bones and leather when required – and have been known to eat up their owners’ tents!
They are ruminant like cattle, meaning they swallow their food only partially chewed and then vomit up bits of “cud” to chew later. When food is scarce, camels use up the stored fat in their humps, which shrinks and sinks to the side as they defecate. When the situation improves, however, they quickly fill up again.
16 – Bulls become sexually mature at four years old at three or more, and cows start a little younger, but rarely conceive before they are about five years old. Cows have about eight calves in their breeding life, one every two to three years.
Camels come in with plenty of daylight which affects their behavior seasonally and are induced ovulators (eggs are produced upon mating). Bulls are in the rut for two to four months at a time, but rutting debilitates them greatly, so the length of the rut depends on their health and dominance.
The hump begins to grow when they are weaned at about a year, and the calf will stay with its mother for a few years if left alone to do so. In captivity, training usually begins with weaning and the young camel learns to carry heavier loads as it ages, carrying a full load by around five years of age.
I assume you already knew about these camel facts.
Camel Facts – Camels and us
18 – Unlike the Westerners, the Bedouins and others who consume camels in normal life, they have no problem with the idea of drinking camel milk (although it seems to be a bit to taste!) and eating camel meat. But maybe we should think more about it. Camel milk is considered a complete food because it is low in fat and lactose and high in vitamins, minerals, etc. compared to cow’s milk. Because most of the camel fat is stored in the hump, the meat has very low cholesterol and fat elsewhere, making it a very healthy option! It’s reported to be like coarse beef, but it can be a bit tough, a problem that’s greatly ameliorated by long, slow cooking.
19 – One of the facts that the history of camels holds for us is that camels have had military purposes as pack animals/draft animals and as cavalry since long ago the Bactrians lived around 1200 BC. The Romans and others also used them, mainly because they scared off the opponent’s horses (the smell of camels scares horses).
20 – In Dubai in 1997, camels were crossed with llamas (proving they are very closely related), although this had to be done by artificial insemination due to the difference in size. The offspring of a camel father and a llama mother are called cama – for some reason it doesn’t mean ‘taking’ them! Apparently, the camas had some characteristics of both parents, but the temperament did not improve at all …
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