The dromedary camel lives in New Zealand. Where does a camel live? What is the difference between domestic and wild Bactrian camels?

home In the past, countless herds of wild dromedaries roamed the deserts North Africa

and the Middle East, but these days you can only find domesticated animals The one-humped camel, or dromedary, or Arabian, is a species of mammal, one of the representatives of the camelid family, belonging, along with the two-humped camel (Bactrian), 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 nowadays 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 carrying cargo or riding. The length of the body of a dromedary camel, covered with the coarse hair of a sandy or Brown reaches up to 3.5 meters, and weight reaches 700 kg. Dromedary camels are known for their endurance; they can go for long periods of time without water or food, maximizing the fluid in their body, and body fat concentrated in the hump of the animal, well tolerated high temperature
and long transitions. This type of animal is very unpretentious to food; it can consume thorny and salty plants, swallowing them without chewing. Special mechanisms in the body of dromedaries, fluid loss is minimized. Dense coat 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 dromedary 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 load). Camels can survive a significant loss of fluid, up to 40% in volume, without harm to themselves, but camels drink very quickly and can quickly compensate for the entire lost volume of fluid; on occasion, they are able to drink about 100 liters of water in 10 minutes. Other mammals are simply not able to absorb such a “camel dose” of fluid in such a.
The basis of the dromedary's diet is dry, often thorny desert vegetation. The hump on the back contains fat reserves, which the camel's body gradually uses for energy. Camels store liquid not in the hump, but in the stomach. During a particularly dry season dromedary camel able to lose more than 25% of its weight without dying of thirst or hunger.

Camelus dromedarius- The dromedary camel is a species of mammal belonging to the camelid family. These animals can be found in many areas of Africa and Asia. The dromedary camel is kept in these areas as a pet.

Today it is difficult to say for sure when they were domesticated. According to some information, their domestication occurred in the third millennium BC.

The first mention of camel riders is contained on an Assyrian obelisk. There are also images on the reliefs of 661-631. BC e. They usually show two camel riders. The one in front controls the animal, and the second, turning around, shoots from a bow.

The dromedary camel spread as a domestic animal quite late. According to some sources, the domestication of animals probably did not occur earlier than the second half of the 1st millennium BC. Subsequently, the distribution environment constantly increased. Camels were the most common in the desert.

Today, various breeds have been bred by man dromedary camels. Each breed performs specific tasks. There is, for example, the lowland and mountain dromedary camel.

The name - "dromedar" - is translated from Greek as "running". Unlike other representatives of this family, Camelus dromedarius has higher legs and lighter coat. The dromedary camel has features in the structure of some parts of the skull and bony processes in the vertebrae.

The length of the dromedary is about 2.3-3.4 meters. At the withers it can reach from 1.8 to 2.3 meters. Unlike Bactrians, Dromedars have one hump. Camelus dromedarius weighs from three hundred to seven hundred kilograms. The tail of a dromedary camel is no more than fifty centimeters in length. As a rule, the coat has a sandy tint, but individuals from white to dark brown are found. The hair on the top of the head, back and neck is longer.

One-humped camels have a long neck and elongated head. Upper lip has a bifurcated structure, the nostrils are in the form of slits, which the animal can close if necessary. The dromedary camel has numerous calluses on its feet, knees and some other places. Like other members of the family, the dromedary camel has only two toes.

Animals are highly adapted to arid climates. They are able to do without water for a long period, maintaining its supply in their body. The hump on the back contains fat deposits. The animal uses them to obtain energy. In camels, liquid is stored in the stomach.

It was noted that the animal’s body temperature at night is significantly reduced. During the day the temperature rises very slowly. This prevents the camel from sweating. During particularly dry seasons, an animal can lose more than twenty-five percent of its weight without dying of hunger or thirst. At the same time, the camel drinks very quickly. As a result, in almost ten minutes he can regain lost weight.

The distribution area of ​​dromedaries as pets extends throughout North Africa, the entire Middle East, and all the way to India. Turkestan is considered the northernmost point of their habitat. Here, as in dromedary camels, you can find them together with Bactrians.

During the daytime, dromedaries are quite active. Those camels that live in the wild usually form harem groups, in which there are several females, a male and offspring. Young males often form groups. But such associations do not last long.

Camels are herbivorous animals. They eat plants different types, salty and prickly as well.

Scientific classification:

Overkingdom: eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Type: chordates

Subphylum: vertebrates

Superclass: quadrupeds

Class: mammals

Subclass: animals

Infraclass: placental

Order: artiodactyls

Suborder: Callosopods

Family: camelids

Genus: camels

Species: dromedary camel

In the distant past, huge herds of dromedaries roamed the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, but as a result economic activity humans have been completely domesticated and are now wildlife does not occur, unlike bactriana .

There are several populations of re-feralized dromedaries in North America and Australia, where they were brought as working animals, but later the need for them disappeared, and they were released into the wild, where they took root well.

Well, natural mating occurs mainly in winter and is associated with the rainy season. The duration of pregnancy ranges from 360 to 440 days, after which, as a rule, a single baby is born; Twins are rare. Newborns can walk independently after the first day. The mother takes care of the offspring from one to two years, and the transition from milk to plant foods happens after six months. Two years after giving birth, the female can become pregnant again.

The one-humped camel, or, as it is also called, the dromedary, is a representative of the camelid family. Unlike the Bactrian camel, the dromedary is not found in the wild. All individuals are domesticated and live in many African and Asian countries.

The main difference from the two-humped “relative” is the presence of only one hump. In addition, the dromedary is significantly inferior to it in size and body weight. The length of a dromedary camel can be from 2.3 to 3.4 meters, and its height can be up to 2.3 meters. The weight of the animal can vary from 300 to 700 kg. Visually, the animal is distinguished by its slender posture and long legs. The wool most often has a sandy color. But there are other shades. Moreover, their range can be quite wide: from dark brown to white. The animal's neck is long with an elongated head. Has slit-like nostrils that can be easily closed in case of sandstorm. For the same purposes, the camel has thick and long eyelashes. The feet have two toes with calloused pads. There are calluses on the knees, feet, and some other areas.

As mentioned above, the dromedary camel is common as a domesticated animal in North Africa and the Middle East. They can be found all the way to India. It is worth noting that a large population of dromedaries lives in Australia, where the animals were brought for domestic use. But many of them escaped or were simply released. Their modern population numbers up to 100 thousand individuals. Moreover, she is the only one in the world that lives in the wild.

Like the two-humped relative, the dromedary feeds on many plants. In arid and desert areas, it even eats thorny or salty species. Interestingly, if necessary, animals can also feed on bones, skin, carrion or fish. Like all camelids, in the dromedar food enters the first chamber of the stomach practically unchewed. After primary digestion, it is regurgitated and chewed, and then enters the secondary chamber of the stomach for final absorption.

Animals are active during the day. Most often they gather in a group that contains one male and several females. The offspring are also with them. Fights for leadership in groups may occur between males. They are accompanied by bites and kicks.

A dromedary can travel up to 70 km in a day. Animals eat from 8 to 12 hours a day. They rip off leaves and branches as they go. When animals are hot, they huddle together, lowering their temperature. They go to watering early in the morning (if there is a water source nearby). Moreover, in ten minutes they can drink up to 130 liters of water. Dromedaries are excellent runners. They can reach speeds of 35 km/h. Animals swim well. They love to wallow in the sand and also scratch their bodies on trees. Dromedars are capable of seeing a moving object at a distance of up to 1 km. And their sense of smell is phenomenal. They are able to sense water located 40-60 km away.

The dromedar is a fairly large animal. Therefore, he has practically no enemies. Only young animals can become victims of large predators.

When the breeding season begins, a herd of up to 20 females gathers around the male. Moreover, the male actively protects them from “competitors.” Thanks to the scent glands located on the back of the head, as well as with the help of urine that is sprayed by the tail, males mark their territory. If two males meet, they scream or press each other to the ground with their necks. A pregnant female usually separates from the herd and goes into separate group with other pregnant individuals. Pregnancy lasts from 360 to 440 days. It is interesting that at first the embryo appears two humps, which by the time of birth are transformed into one. The female most often gives birth to one baby camel, which walks independently on the second day.

It is worth noting that today dromedaries are not considered as wild animals. After all, even Australian dromedary camels living in the wild are descendants of domesticated animals. The population of dromedary camels is up to 17 million individuals.

The dromedary camel belongs to the genus Camelidae and forms a species that is only partially preserved in the wild. Its domestication began 4 thousand years ago on the Arabian Peninsula. At that time, representatives of the species inhabited the desert regions of North Africa and Western Asia. Currently, only domesticated dromedaries live in Asia and Africa. Small wild populations are found in the arid regions of North Africa, including the Sahara. There is also a wild population in Australia. One-humped camels began to be imported there in the 19th century. Some of them escaped and went wild, forming wild herds. Man uses this animal as a beast of burden and for riding.

The dromedary has one hump. The height at the withers in males is 1.8-2 m. In females the corresponding value is 1.7-1.9 m. The total height from head to ground varies from 2.3 to 3.4 m. Males weigh 400- 600 kg, females weigh 300-540 kg. The neck is long and curved, the chest is narrow, the eyelashes are long, the nostrils are narrow and closed. Vision is very sharp, sense of smell is well developed. The upper lip is forked. The length of the tail is no more than 50 cm. The legs have 2 toes, which rest not on the hooves, but on leathery pads.

The coat is brown in color, but can range from black to almost white. Long hair present on the throat, shoulders and hump. When walking, a camel moves both legs on one side of the body at the same time. The hump contains fat reserves. But fluid reserves are stored in the stomach. Males have a pink pouch about 18 cm long hanging from one side of their mouth. During the mating season, it swells and attracts females.

Reproduction and lifespan

Sexual maturity in a dromedary camel occurs between 3 and 5 years of age. It directly depends on the region where the animals live. Mating season lasts from 3 to 5 months. Males at this time behave aggressively towards each other. Mating occurs during the rainy season. Pregnancy lasts 15 months. 1 camel is born. Within a few hours he is moving freely. Milk feeding lasts 9-18 months. The cub lives with its mother for 2 years, then begins independent life. Females give birth to offspring once every 2 years. A dromedary camel lives 40-50 years.

Behavior and nutrition

These animals are active during the daytime. In the wild they live in small groups or harems. They consist of an adult strong male, several females and their cubs. Grown-up young males unite in bachelor groups and try to start their own harems. Leaders among males are determined through fights. The dromedary is a herbivore. The diet consists of any plants. These are dry herbs, leaves, thorny plants. It is thorny plants and shrubs that account for 48% of the total diet. Dromedary camels also suck juice from young, succulent grass. Can tolerate body fluid loss of up to 40%. They can drink 100 liters of water at a time.

Relationship with a person

Given that the dromedary camel is strong and docile, it is considered a popular domesticated animal. It is used for a variety of purposes. Milk, meat, wool, and leather are obtained from it. They ride on it, it transports cargo. The dromedary is especially popular among the pastoral tribes of Northern Arabia. In addition, it lives near people in 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. 99% of them are wild. In India there are about 1 million individuals, in Pakistan there are 800 thousand of them. Sports races are organized for these animals in the UAE.