Dromedary Camel, Mammal, Animal, WonderClub

Dromedary Camel

(Mammal)

The dromedary camel has been domesticated for so long that there are no records of its life as a wild animal. Perfectly adapted for the hot, dry climate of the desert, it plays a vital role in the life of the nomads.

Dromedary Camel Baby

The dromedary camel is well adapted to cope with the harsh terrain of the desert. Its adaptations include hairy ears and heavy eyebrows with long eyelashes that protect from the ears and eyes from the sun and blowing sand.

Dromedaries in the Sahara can go through the entire winter without taking a drink. This is because the camel loses very little water in its feces and urine. It can tolerate a lot of water loss and does not sweat until its body temperature becomes very high.

Dromedary Camel Communication

Camels communicate in a variety of ways, including whistling, humming, and spitting. In zoos, camels have been known to spit the contents of their first stomach at annoying visitors.

Dromedary Camel Breeding

The female dromedary comes into heat (becomes ready to mate) several times a year. This gives her a better chance of giving birth during the unpredictable rainy season, when there is plenty of vegetation for her young. The male camel becaomes aggressive during mating season. He also displays a noisy breeding display to attract females.

The female stands as she gives birth to a single calf. It is born with its eyes open and is covered with a soft, woolly fleece. Within two or three hours the calf can walk. By the end of its first day, it moves about quickly and freely. The young suckles for at least a year. It remains dependent on its mother until it is four years old.

Dromedary Camel Food & Feeding

The dromedary Camel ruminates (chews food again after swallowing it). It eats almost any vegetation in the desert, including the thorny twigs and and salty plants that other desert dwellers cannot tolerate.

Dromedary Camel Key Facts

Size

Height: To hump, 6-8 feet

Weight: 1,000 to 1,500 pounds

Breeding

Sexual maturity: 5 years

Mating: Varies: times for birth to coincide with maximum plant growth

Gestation: 370-440 days

Number of young: 1

Lifestyle

Habit: Forms groups of up to 30 animals

Diet: Any available vegetation

Lifespan: 17-50 years

DID YOU KNOW?

Camels are the only mammals that have oval, rather than circular, red blood corpuscles.
Camels often spit when something annoys them.
The dromedary is sometimes known as "the ship of the desert". This is partly because of its rolling walk but also because it is the main transportation across the desert.
In very hot weather, a camel that has not drunk for a long time can drink up to 50 gallons at a time.
The Book of Genesis implies the dromedary was used by nomadic tribes in the second millennium BCE.

Dromedary Camel

(Mammal)

Dromedary Camel Habits

Dromedary Camel Communication

Dromedary Camel Breeding

Dromedary Camel Food & Feeding

Dromedary Camel Key Facts

DID YOU KNOW?

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