The one-humped camel evolved from the wild form. One-humped camel, or dromedary (dromedary) Camelus dromedarius. Where do camels live

One-humped camel (dromedary, dromedary)- a well-known animal of the camelid family, one of the brightest representatives of mammals. The single-humped camel is also called the dromedary or dromedary, both of which are correct names.

Where does the one-humped camel (dromedary) live?

The primary habitat of the one-humped camel is Africa and Asia, mostly deserts. At present, the feral populations of dromedaries have practically ceased to exist, and one-humped camels are domesticated animals. The dromedary is used in human life as an excellent runner and a strong animal. By using one-humped camels transport quite heavy and voluminous things, also this animal is used as a vehicle. AT wild nature One-humped camels are found only in Australia. These are the animals that escaped from the owners or were voluntarily released into the wild by the former owners.

The activity of one-humped camels is observed in the daytime. Dromedaries form harems, which consist of one male, several females and newborn camels. A female one-humped camel gives birth to only one baby, two babies are born at the same time extremely rarely. The gestation period for a female lasts approximately 400 days from the moment of conception. The ability to reproduce offspring in a female one-humped camel appears at the age of three years, in a male - at 4-6 years.

Sometimes male camels unite in bachelor herds, but without a female they cannot stand for a long time and still create a harem. In bachelor herds there is a struggle for leadership and representatives one-humped camels dromedaries capable of fighting for the sake of gaining leadership.

In the past, countless herds of wild dromedaries roamed the deserts. North Africa and the Middle East, but nowadays only domesticated animals can be found

A single-humped camel, or a dromedary, or an Arabian is a species of mammal, one of the representatives of the camelid family, which, along with the two-humped camel (Bactrian), belongs to the genus of camels proper. In the past, countless herds of wild dromedaries roamed the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, but today only domesticated animals can be found. In the modern world, the dromedary is common in many regions of Asia and Africa as a pet for transporting goods or riding. The length of the body of a one-humped camel, covered with hard hair of sand or Brown color reaches up to 3.5 meters, and weight reaches 700 kg. One-humped camels are known for their endurance, they can go without water and food for a long time, making the most of the liquid in their body, and fat deposits concentrated in the animal's hump tolerate high temperature and long transitions. This type of animal is very unpretentious to food, it can eat thorny and salty plants, swallowing them without chewing.
Special Mechanisms in the body of dromedaries minimize fluid loss. A dense woolen cover does not allow excessive evaporation, there are very few sweat glands, and animals begin to sweat only in 40-degree heat. The body temperature of a one-humped camel drops sharply at night, and during the day the body heats up slowly, which allows the animal not to sweat. Dromedaries can go without water for a long time (a week under a pack and several months without a load). Camels without harm to themselves can survive a significant loss of fluid, up to 40% in volume, but camels drink very quickly and can quickly compensate for the entire volume of fluid lost, on occasion they are able to drink about 100 liters of water in 10 minutes. Other mammals are simply not able to assimilate such a "camel dose" of liquid in such a short time.
The basis of the diet of the dromedary is dry, often prickly desert vegetation. The hump on the back contains reserves of fat, which the camel's body gradually uses for energy. Camels store fluid not in the hump, but in the stomach. During a particularly dry season, a humped camel is able to lose more than 25% of its body weight without dying of thirst or hunger.

Among the sandy "mountains" of the desert, a majestic ship "floats" ... What do you think - about whom in question? Well, of course, about the camel. Since ancient times, this animal has been called just that - “ship of the desert”. And there is no longer an animal in the world that can endure the scorching sun, while carrying a heavy load. Bactrian and single humped camels are truly unique animals of their kind.

One-humped camel (dromedary, dromedary) - description

The one-humped camel dromedary has only one hump, unlike the usual two-humped camels, which are found only in zoos in Europe. The body size of a one-humped camel is much smaller than that of other members of this family. The body length of the dromedary is approximately 2-3.5 meters, and the height is 1.5-2.5 meters. The weight of an adult dromedary camel is from 500 to 700 kilograms. The tail reaches no more than 50 centimeters. The average life expectancy of a one-humped camel is approximately 50-70 years.

Dromedar has a slender body, fairly long legs, and an elongated neck. The neck, back and part of the camel's head are covered with long hair. The color of the animal is dominated by various shades of colors, from light yellow to brown. The camel's long legs end with two toes and callus pads instead of hooves. important anatomical feature The one-humped camel has nostrils that are shaped like thin slits and have the ability to close when necessary.

Features and habitat of the dromedary

It is generally accepted that the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula were the birthplace of one-humped camels. Until now, they are used there as the main farm animal. Camels also live in arid and hot regions of Africa and India.

Later, they were brought to Australia and took root perfectly in it. arid deserts. Some of the camels still died out, but most were able to get used to new places and climatic features new climate.

The wild habitat of a camel is different from the living conditions of a dromedary at home. It is not surprising that the body of a camel is able to perfectly adapt to a hot climate.

But it is this adaptation that makes him vulnerable to others. climatic conditions, for example, in rocky terrain or on what surface, he will not be able to move so dynamically, again due to the specific structure of the legs and hooves.

To date, there are practically no wild individuals left. Most of the dromedaries and sow the day in Africa. About 75% of domesticated camels are concentrated there. They are still faithful helpers and friends for a person.

Lifestyle

Dromedaries are quite sensitive to humidity and cold, so they prefer to stay in arid areas with a long dry season.

The one-humped camel leads a daytime nomadic lifestyle. Animals travel up to 70 km per day. AT summer months they stick to bushes and sandy plains, in winter they migrate to salt lakes and swamps.

Dromedary spend 8-12 hours a day feeding. As they move, they strip branches and leaves as they go. Each serving of chewing gum is chewed up to 40-50 times. On hot days, dromedaries rest huddled together, which lowers their body temperature. If there are water sources nearby, camels go to water at dawn. In ten minutes, a dehydrated camel can drink up to 130 liters of water. Dromedaries do not tolerate frost well.

They run well, reach speeds of up to 25 km / h, but the usual speed of a caravan is up to 10 km / h. Camels love to wallow in the sand, rub their bodies against trees, and scratch their bodies with their front and hind legs, as well as with their lower incisors. They swim well. Vision is well developed, the animal can see a moving object at a distance of up to 1 km. With the help of the sense of smell, it can smell water at a distance of up to 40-60 km.

Wild dromedaries are found in groups of three species: 1 - single males, 2 - summer groups(females with camels), 3 - winter groups(leader male, 5-20 females and their camels). In groups of the third type, the leader guards his females from other people's camels (both males and females). Old males meet alone. Animals in such groups are not territorial. During a drought, camels unite in herds of up to several hundred individuals. Outside of the breeding season, one-humped camels are not aggressive.

Nutrition for dromedaries

The dromedary is a herbivore and eats thorny plants, shrubs, and dry grass—almost anything that can grow in desert areas. The animal loves to pluck young shoots, which is about 70% of the camel's entire diet.

Approximately 8-12 hours a day, a one-humped camel grazes and chews food for a long period of time.

Dromedaries can reach food up to three meters high, eating leaves and ripping off branches as they go. They chew each portion thoroughly 40-50 times. During this process, the mouth is not closed. Animals tend to go around large areas and pick a few leaves from each plant. This type of nutrition reduces the load on plants.

Except plant food One-humped camels need salt (six times more essential than other desert dwellers) in order to conserve water.

reproduction

During mating season males become very aggressive. They begin to vigorously rub the odorous secrets of the occipital glands into the shoulder blades, grind their teeth and release copious amounts of saliva. At this time, fierce fights often break out between them.

Enraged opponents headbutt each other frantically, kick with their front legs, and bite. The fight can take place even in the supine position. The winner goes to the female, and she lies down in front of him, thus expressing her favor.

Pregnancy lasts 13 months. A camel calf weighing from 25 to 50 kg is born. After the birth, the mother carefully sniffs the newborn, but does not lick it, and the baby stands up and immediately starts feeding. The very next day after birth, the cub begins to roam with his herd.

For three months, the camel adheres to a milk diet, and then gradually begins to get used to adult food. Most Camels dedicate time to games with their peers. Often these games resemble duels between adult males.

A one-year-old cub is weaned from the udder by the mother, although he still continues to feed on milk. Sexual maturity of females occurs at the age of 3-4 years, and males by 5-6 years. Once every two years, an adult camel is able to bear offspring.

Relationship with a person

Given that the one-humped camel is strong and docile, it is considered a popular domesticated animal. Use it for a variety of purposes. Milk, meat, wool, leather are obtained from it. They ride on it, it carries cargo. The dromedary is especially popular among the pastoral tribes of Northern Arabia. In addition, it lives close to people in the semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia. In general, there are about 15 million of these animals on the planet. About 80% is in Africa. 500 thousand live in Australia. Of these, 99% are wild. In India, there are about 1 million individuals, in Pakistan there are 800 thousand. Sports races are organized on these animals in the UAE.

• Camels are called "ships of the desert" because they walk with a slight sway, and also because camels are almost the only vehicle in these regions.
• Camels differ from other mammals in the structure of blood cells: they are oval.
• Camels spit undigested stomach contents. Sometimes camels can spit, for example, zoo visitors.
• The camel is perfectly adapted to life in arid regions and can go without water for a long time. But when he drinks, he can drink up to 100 liters of liquid in 10 minutes.

Video

One-humped camel, or dromedary (lat. Camelus dromedaries) - artiodactyl mammal from the Camelidae family (lat. Camelidae). It was tamed by man over 5,000 years ago. Until now nomadic tribes and peoples use these animals along with for carrying heavy loads and riding.

Dromedary provide their owners with meat, milk, warm wool and skins. A large number of camels still live in a semi-wild state, and completely feral specimens live in Australia. At one time, the animal is able to drink about 130 liters of water. It can exist for many days without a watering place, and even a 20% loss of water does not cause a violation of its physiological processes.

The habitat of one-humped camels extends to the territory of Africa and Asia. They were brought to Australia by the first settlers in early XIX century. Some of the animals fled and ran wild. In other territories, camels have been domesticated or live in semi-wild herds.

In the wild, dromedaries inhabit regions with average annual temperature not lower than 20°C and with low rainfall up to 500 mm per year.

reproduction

During the mating season, males become very aggressive. They begin to vigorously rub the odorous secrets of the occipital glands into the shoulder blades, grind their teeth and release copious amounts of saliva. At this time, fierce fights often break out between them.

Enraged opponents headbutt each other frantically, kick with their front legs, and bite. The fight can take place even in the supine position. The winner goes to the female, and she lies down in front of him, thus expressing her favor.

Pregnancy lasts 13 months. A camel calf weighing from 25 to 50 kg is born. After the birth, the mother carefully sniffs the newborn, but does not lick it, and the baby stands up and immediately starts feeding. The very next day after birth, the cub begins to roam with his herd.

For three months, the camel adheres to a milk diet, and then gradually begins to get used to adult food. Camels devote most of their time to games with their peers. Often these games resemble duels between adult males.

A one-year-old cub is weaned from the udder by the mother, although he still continues to feed on milk. Sexual maturity of females occurs at the age of 3-4 years, and males by 5-6 years. Once every two years, an adult camel is able to bear offspring.

Behavior

The single-humped camel is very well adapted to living in the desert. Its thick coat protects the body well from the scorching sun and from the night cold. Tightly closed nostrils save the dromedary from a dust storm, and its eyes are protected by dense eyelashes.

On the soles of the animal are pads of elastic skin, which allow him to move easily on loose sands. With its unhurried gait, a camel can cover 5 km in one hour.

The one-humped camel is a unique mammal that can change its temperature depending on the time of day from 34°C to 41°C. When the temperature rises to 40 ° C, the animal sweats, and the sweat cools the whole body.

The only hump is analogous to the rear hump of the Bactrian ( bactrian camel). During embryonic development a second hump forms in the dromedary, but it disappears before birth.

Camels usually live in small groups. Up to one and a half dozen females with juvenile juveniles gather around one sexually mature male. Sometimes males gather in bachelor groups, and camels with camels in ladies' groups.

With a small amount of food, the herds disperse through the desert. For one day, the animal needs up to 50 kg of food, and in order not to starve, it spends up to 12 hours a day in search of food.

Camels replenish their diet with one-day plants growing after rain, all kinds of cereals, bindweeds, acacias and saline plants. To replenish the body with calcium and phosphorus, they chew on the bones of dead animals or fish.

In a well-fed dromedary, the hump is filled to capacity with fat, and its weight can reach 15 kg.

When there is a shortage of food, he can use his fat deposits, which form water in the process of chemical decomposition.

Description

The body length of an adult reaches 3 meters, the height at the withers is 2.3 m. The head is raised high. The nostrils are located above the eyes. Eyelids fringed thick eyelashes which are able to protect the eyes from the ingress of sand. Small round ears are immersed in wool. The forked upper lip allows you to cut off the branches of thorny plants.

The long neck has a characteristic curve. On the back is a hump, the size of which is individual for each animal. color thick wool cover varies from fawn to brown. on the chest and knee joints calluses from roughened skin are located. The legs are very long and end in a foot with two toes.

The life expectancy of a one-humped camel is about 40 years.

Titles in Russian : dromedary, one-humped camel, dromedary.
In English - Dromedary, Arabian camel; in Ukrainian - One-humped camel; in German - Dromedar, Arabisches Kamel.

Origin of name: The word "dromedary" comes from the Greek "dromeios" - "fast running".

Description

Appearance: Elongated (but not as long as that of a bactrian camel) hair grows on the neck, shoulders and hump. The chest is deep and narrow, the neck is long and arched.
Hooves are absent. Each foot has two big toes resting on a callous thickening of the skin lying on a keratinized sole. Two large claws protrude from the sole. Such limbs are adapted for walking on rocky desert and soft sand, but not for traveling on sharp stones, slippery surfaces and sticky mud.
There are calluses on the chest, elbows, knees and heels. The lips are hard, which allows the camels to eat the thorns. Upper lip forked.
The eyes are large, with thick eyelashes and a nictitating membrane (third eyelid) that protects the eyes from the wind. During sandstorms camels close not only their eyes, but also their slit-like nostrils.
In male dromedaries soft sky, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females. This pouch (red) is often mistaken for the tongue as it it hangs on one side, protruding from the mouth.

Behavior

The one-humped camel leads a daytime nomadic lifestyle. Animals travel up to 70 km per day. In the summer months, they stick to bushes and sandy plains, in winter they migrate to salt lakes and marshes.
Dromedary spend 8-12 hours a day feeding. As they move, they strip branches and leaves as they go. Each serving of chewing gum is chewed up to 40-50 times.
On hot days, dromedaries rest huddled together, which lowers their body temperature. If there are water sources nearby, camels go to water at dawn. In ten minutes, a dehydrated camel can drink up to 130 liters of water. Dromedaries do not tolerate frost well.
They run well, reach speeds of up to 25 km / h, but the usual speed of a caravan is up to 10 km / h.
Camels love to wallow in the sand, rub their bodies against trees, and scratch their bodies with their front and hind legs, as well as with their lower incisors. They swim well.
Vision is well developed, the animal can see a moving object at a distance of up to 1 km. With the help of the sense of smell, it can smell water at a distance of up to 40-60 km.

Lifestyle

social structure: wild dromedaries are found in groups of three species: 1 - single males, 2 - summer groups (females with camels), 3 - winter groups (leader male, 5-20 females and their camels). In groups of the third type, the leader guards his females from other people's camels (both males and females).
Old males meet alone. Animals in such groups are not territorial. During a drought, camels unite in herds of up to several hundred individuals.
Outside of the breeding season, one-humped camels are not aggressive.

Enemies: not known.

reproduction

reproduction: During the breeding season, males gather a herd of up to 20 females. The male actively protects his females from other males.
The male dromedary has well-developed odorous glands (about 6 cm in diameter) on the back of the head. With their secret and urine (the male urinates on his tail and at the same time waves it in different directions, thus spraying it), he marks his territory.
When two rivals meet, the males scream, if none of the rivals retreats, the males try to press each other to the ground with their necks, biting their legs and grabbing their heads.
Mating lasts 7-35 minutes (average 11-15). Pregnant females separate from the main herd and gather in individual groups.
Interestingly, in the embryo of a one-humped camel, two humps are first formed.

Season/breeding period: The period coinciding with the beginning of the rainy season and the increase in daylight hours.

Puberty: Females at 3-4 years old, males at 5-6 years old. Reproductive age in females lasts up to 30 years.

Pregnancy: Lasts 13-15 months.

Offspring: The female gives birth to one camel. The weight of the newborn is 30-50 kg. Dromedary camels are born without a hump. Lactation lasts up to 1.5-18 years. A female can give up to 8-10 liters of milk per day.

Economic importance

Benefits for a person: The peoples of the desert have tamed one-humped camels since ancient times: they ride them, carry various goods, make clothes and housing from wool, drink camel milk and eat camel meat.
Northern Arabian tribes began using dromedaries as mounts about 3,100 years ago.
Dromedaries and Bactrians produce fertile offspring.

Harm to humans: Wild camels cause damage to fruit tree plantations, although not as severe as other wild animals (horses, donkeys and goats).
During a drought, wild dromedaries, gathered at the source drinking water, can pollute it, as well as destroy all vegetation growing nearby, thereby sometimes completely destroying the oasis.
Camels suffer from tuberculosis and brucellosis, which are transmitted to livestock.

Number and protection

population: The population of wild one-humped camels in Australia is estimated at about 500 thousand individuals. The number continues to increase.
In total, there are about 17 million dromedaries in the world.
Currently, one-humped camels are not considered as wild animals, but as semi-domesticated animals living under human supervision.

Copyright holder: portal Zooclub
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, the use of the article will be considered a violation of the "Law on Copyright and Related Rights".