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 Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius
 Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus
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Camelus bactrianus |
Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has two humps. The Dromedary camel ( Camelus dromedarius) is a large Even-toed ungulate. The Bactrian Camel ( Camelus bactrianus) is a large Even-toed ungulate native to the Steppes of north eastern Asia. They are native to the dry desert areas of western Asia, and central and east Asia, respectively. A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation.
The average life expectancy of a camel is forty to fifty years. The term camel is also used more broadly to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids, the llama, alpaca, guanaco, and vicuña. Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The llama ( Lama glama) is a South American Camelid, widely used as a Pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes The Alpaca ( Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American Camelid. The guanaco ( Lama guanicoe) is a Camelid animal native to South America that stands between 107 and 122 centimeters (3 The vicuña ( Vicugna vicugna) is one of two wild South American Camelids along with the Guanaco, which live in the high alpineous areas of the
A fully-grown adult camel stands 1. 85 m (6 ft 1 in) at the shoulder and 2. 15 m (7 ft 1 in) at the hump. The hump rises about thirty inches out of its body. Camels can run up to 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and sustain speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph).
Fossil evidence indicates that the ancestors of modern camels evolved in North America during the Palaeogene period, and later spread to Asia. The Paleogene (alternatively Palaeogene) is a geologic period and system that began 65 Humans first domesticated camels between 3,500–3,000 years ago. The dromedary and the Bactrian camel are both still used for milk, meat, and as beasts of burden—the dromedary in western Asia, and the Bactrian camel further to the north and east in central Asia. A working animal is an animal that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks
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Distribution and numbers
The almost 14 million dromedaries alive today are domesticated animals (mostly living in Somalia, Sudan, Mauritania and nearby countries). The Dromedary camel ( Camelus dromedarius) is a large Even-toed ungulate. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country
The Bactrian camel is now reduced to an estimated 1. The Bactrian Camel ( Camelus bactrianus) is a large Even-toed ungulate native to the Steppes of north eastern Asia. 4 million animals, mostly domesticated. It is thought that there are about 1000 wild Bactrian camels in the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia. The Gobi (Говь Govi or Gov', "gravel-covered plain" Chinese: zh-t 戈壁(沙漠 Gēbì (Shāmò) [1]
There is a substantial feral population of dromedaries estimated at up to 700,000 in central parts of Australia, descended from individuals introduced as transport animals in the 19th century and early 20th century. A feral organism is one that has escaped from Domestication and returned partly or wholly to its wild state For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. This population is growing at approximately 11% per year. The government of South Australia has decided to cull the animals using aerial marksmen, because the camels use too much of the limited resources needed by sheep farmers. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country For more information, see Australian feral camel. The ancestors of Australian feral camels were Dromedary Camels imported to provide transport through inland Australia, which their Feral descendants
A small population of introduced camels, dromedaries and Bactrians, survived in the Southwest United States until the 1900s. The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37 These animals, imported from Turkey, were part of the US Camel Corps experiment and used as draft animals in mines and escaped or were released after the project was terminated. The US Camel Corps was a mid-nineteenth century experiment by the United States Army in using Camels as pack animals in the Southwest United States. A descendant of one of these was seen by a backpacker in Los Padres National Forest in 1972. Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Twenty-three Bactrian camels were brought to Canada during the Cariboo Gold Rush. The Cariboo Gold Rush was a Gold rush in the Canadian province British Columbia.
Genetics
The karyotypes of different camelid species have been studied earlier by many groups [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7], but no agreement on chromosome nomenclature of camelids has been reached. The most recent study used flow-sorted camel chromosomes building undoubtedly the camel's karyotype (2n=74) that consists of one metacentric, three submetacentric and 32 acrocentric autosomes. The Y is a small metacentric chromosome, while the X is a large metacentric chromosome. [8]. According to molecular data, the New World and Old World camelids diverged 11 MYA. [9]In spite of this, these species turned out to be conserved sufficiently to hybridize and produce live offspring(cama). A Cama is a hybrid between a Camel and a Llama, produced via Artificial insemination by a breeder in Dubai attempting to create [10] The dromedary-guanaco inter-specific hybrid provided the ideal platform to compare the karyotypes of Old World and New World camels.
The cama is a camel/llama hybrid bred by scientists who wanted to see how closely related the parent species were. A Cama is a hybrid between a Camel and a Llama, produced via Artificial insemination by a breeder in Dubai attempting to create The llama ( Lama glama) is a South American Camelid, widely used as a Pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes The dromedary is six times the weight of a llama, hence artificial insemination was required to impregnate the llama female (llama male to dromedary female attempts have proven unsuccessful). Though born even smaller than a llama cria, the cama had the short ears and long tail of a camel, no hump and llama-like cloven hooves rather than the dromedary-like pads. A cloven hoof is a Hoof split into two toes This is found on members within the Mammalian order Artiodactyla. At four years old, the cama became sexually mature and attracted to llama and guanaco females. A second cama (female) has since been produced using artificial insemination. Because camels and llamas both have 74 chromosomes, scientists hope that the cama will be fertile. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and Protein that is found in cells. If so, there is potential for increasing size, meat/wool yield and pack/draft ability in South American camels. The cama apparently inherited the poor temperament of both parents as well as demonstrating the relatedness of the New World and Old World camelids.
Dromedary-Bactrian hybrids are called bukhts, are larger than either parent, have a single hump and are good draft camels. The Thar Desert ( Hindi: थार मरुस्थल also known as the Great Indian Desert, is The females can be mated back to a Bactrian to produce ¾-bred riding camels. These hybrids are found in Kazakhstan.
Eco-behavioural adaptations
Camels do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed; they are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy, and would yield more than 1 g of water for each 1 g of fat converted through reaction with oxygen from air. This process of fat metabolization generates a net loss of water through respiration for the oxygen required to convert the fat. [11]
Their ability to withstand long periods without water is due to a series of physiological adaptations. Their red blood cells have an oval shape, unlike those of other mammals, which are circular. Red blood cells are the most common type of Blood cell and the Vertebrate body's principal means of delivering Oxygen to the body tissues via the Blood Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands This is to facilitate their flow in a dehydrated state. Dehydration ( hypohydration) is the removal of Water ( hydro in ancient Greek) from an object These cells are also more stable[12] in order to withstand high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water (100 litres (22 imp gal/26 US gal) to 150 litres (33 imp gal/40 US gal) in one drink). Osmosis is the Diffusion of a solvent (frequently water through a semi-permeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration (high water potential [13]
Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water content that would kill most other animals. Core temperature, also called core body temperature, is the operating Temperature of an Organism, specifically in deep structures of the body such as the Their temperature ranges from 34 °C (93 °F) at night up to 41 °C (106 °F) during the day, and only above this threshold will they begin to sweat. The upper body temperature range is often not reached during the day in milder climatic conditions, and therefore, the camel may not sweat at all during the day. Evaporation of their sweat takes place at the skin level, not at the surface of their coat, thereby being very efficient at cooling the body compared to the amount of water lost through sweating. This ability to fluctuate body temperature and the efficiency of their sweating allows them to preserve about five litres of water a day.
A feature of their nostrils is that a large amount of water vapor in their exhalations is trapped and returned to their body fluids, thereby reducing the amount of water lost through respiration.
They can withstand at least 20-25% weight loss due to sweating (most mammals can only withstand about 3-4% dehydration before cardiac failure results from the thickened blood. ) A camel's blood remains hydrated, even though the body fluids are lost, until this 25% limit is reached.
Camels eating green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their body's hydrated state without the need for drinking.
A camel's thick coat reflects sunlight. A shorn camel has to sweat 50% more to avoid overheating. It also insulates them from the intense heat that radiates from the desert sand. Their long legs help by keeping them further from the hot ground. Camels have been known to swim.
Their mouth is very sturdy, able to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with sealable nostrils, form a barrier against sand. Their gait and their widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand.
The kidneys and intestines of a camel are very efficient at retaining water. The kidneys are complicated organs that have numerous biological roles In Anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the Stomach to the Anus and in humans and other mammals consists Urine comes out as a thick syrup, and their feces are so dry that they can fuel fires.
All camelids have an unusual immune system. In other species, the Y-shaped antibody molecules consist of two heavy (or long) chains along the length of the Y, and two light (or short) chains at each tip of the Y. Antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins, abbreviated Ig) are Gamma globulin Proteins that are found in Blood or other Bodily In the camel, the antibody molecules have only two heavy chains, which makes them smaller and more durable. These antibodies, which were discovered in 1993, probably developed 50 million years ago, after camelids split from ruminants and pigs, according to biochemist Serge Muyldermans. [14]
The camel is the only animal to have replaced the wheel (mainly in North Africa) where the wheel had already been established. The camel did not lose that distinction until the wheel was combined with the internal combustion engine in the 20th century.
Camel farming
Military uses of camels
Attempts have been made to employ camels as cavalry and dragoon mounts and as freight animals in lieu of horses and mules. Over the past few decades Camels have regained recognition for their food-producing potential in Arid and Semi-arid areas of Sudan. Camel cavalry, or camelry, is a generic designation for Armed forces using Camels as a Means of transportation. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A dragoon is a soldier intended primarily to fight on foot but trained also in Horse riding and cavalry combat especially In some places, such as Australia, some of the camels have become feral and are considered to be dangerous to travelers on camels. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A feral organism is one that has escaped from Domestication and returned partly or wholly to its wild state The camels were mostly used in combat because of their ability to scare off horses in close ranges, a quality famously employed by the Achaemenid Persians when fighting Lydia, although the Persians usually used camels as baggage trains for arrows and equipment. The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy The horses detest the smell of camels, and therefore, the horses in the vicinity become harder to control. The United States Army had an active camel corps stationed in California in the 19th century, and the brick stables may still be seen at the Benicia Arsenal in Benicia, California, now converted to artists' and artisans' studio spaces. The US Camel Corps was a mid-nineteenth century experiment by the United States Army in using Camels as pack animals in the Southwest United States. The Benicia Arsenal was a large military reservation located next to Suisun Bay in Benicia California. Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. Camels have been used in wars throughout Africa, and also in the East Roman Empire as auxiliary forces known as Dromedarii recruited in desert provinces. Dromedarii were Camel riding auxiliary forces recruited in the desert provinces of the east Roman empire.
Cuisine
Dairy
Camel milk is a staple food of desert nomad tribes and is richer in fat and protein than cow milk. Camel milk cannot be made into butter in the traditional churning method. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. It can be made if it is soured first, churned, and then a clarifying agent is added, or if it is churned at 24–25 °C (75–76 °F), but times will vary greatly in achieving results. The milk can readily be made into yogurt. Yoghurt, yogurt, yoghourt, youghurt or yogourt (see spelling below is a Butter or yogurt made from camel milk is said to have a very faint greenish tinge. Camel milk is said to have many healthful properties and is used as a medicinal product in India; Bedouin tribes believe that camel milk has great curative powers if the camel's diet consists of certain plants. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously In Ethiopia, the milk is considered an aphrodisiac. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page
Camel milk, until recently, was impossible to make into traditional cheese since rennet was unable to coagulate the milk proteins to allow the collection of curds. Rennet (ˈrɛnɪt is a natural complex of enzymes produced in any Mammalian Stomach to digest the mother's milk and often used in the production of Cheese Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice Under the commission of the FAO, Professor J. P. Ramet of the École Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires (ENSAIA) was able to produce curdling by the addition of calcium phosphate and vegetable rennet. The École Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires ( ENSAIA) is a French grande école located in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Calcium phosphate is the name given to a family of Minerals containing Calcium Ions (Ca2+ together with orthophosphates (PO43- [15] The cheese produced from this process has low levels of cholesterol and lactose. The sale of camel cheese is limited due to the low yield of cheese from milk and the uncertainty of pasteurization levels for camel milk which makes adherence to dairy import regulations difficult.
Meat
A camel carcass can provide a substantial amount of meat. The male dromedary carcass can weigh 400 kg (900 lb) or more, while the carcass of a male Bactrian can weigh up to 650 kg (1,400 lb). The carcass of a female camel weighs less than the male, ranging between 250 and 350 kg (550–770 lb), but can provide a substantial amount of meat. The brisket, ribs and loin are among the preferred parts, but the hump is considered a delicacy and is most favored. It is reported that camel meat tastes like coarse beef, but older camels can prove to be tough and less flavorful.
Camel meat has been eaten for centuries. It has been recorded by ancient Greek writers as an available dish in ancient Persia at banquets, usually roasted whole. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The ancient Roman emperor Heliogabalus enjoyed camel's heel. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Camel meat is still eaten in certain regions including Somalia, where it is called Hilib geyl, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Kazakhstan and other arid regions where alternative forms of protein may be limited or where camel meat has had a long cultural history. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the In the Middle East, camel meat is the rarest and most prized source of pastırma. Pastırma or bastırma is a highly seasoned air-dried cured beef in the cuisines of the former Ottoman countries Not just the meat, but also blood is a consumable item as is the case in northern Kenya, where camel blood is a source of iron, vitamin D, salts and minerals. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble Prohormones, the two major forms of which are vitamin D2 (or Ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (or
Cultural prohibitions on consuming camel products
The consumption of camel blood is proscribed by Muslim beliefs, as blood products are not halal. Halal (حلال ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term meaning permissible. According to Jewish tradition, camel meat and milk are not kosher. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Taboo food and drinks are food and drink which people abstain from consuming for religious or cultural reasons Camels possess only one of the two Kosher criteria; although they chew their cuds, they do not possess split hooves. See also Kashrut Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of Jewish religion Physiologically a ruminant is a Mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach known (See: Taboo food and drink)
Health issues
A 2005 report issued jointly by the Saudi Ministry of Health and the United States Center for Disease Control details cases of human bubonic plague resulting from the ingestion of raw camel liver. Taboo food and drinks are food and drink which people abstain from consuming for religious or cultural reasons Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as [16]
References
- ^ Wild Bactrian Camel, Animal Info
- ^ Taylor KM, Hungerford DA, Snyder RC, Ulmer FA (1968)Uniformity of karyotypes in the Camelidae. Cytogenetics 7: 8-15[1].
- ^ Koulischer L, Tijskens J, Mortelmans J (1971) Mammalian cytogenetics. IV. The chromosomes of two male Camelidae:Camelus bactrianus and Lama vicugna. Acta Zool Pathol Antverp 52: 89-92. [2]
- ^ Bianchi NO, Larramendy ML, Bianchi MS, Cortes L (1986)Karyological conservatism in South American camelids. Experientia 42: 622-624 [3].
- ^ Bunch TD, Foote WC, Maciulis A (1985) Chromosome banding pattern homologies and NORs for the Bactrian camel, guanaco and llama. J Hered 76: 115-118[4].
- ^ Graphodatsky AS (2006) Camelus bactrianus. In O’Brien SJ, Menninger JC, Nash WG, eds. Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes. New York: Wiley-Liss p. 547[5]. html.
- ^ Di Berardino D, Nicodemo D, Coppola G et al. (2006) Cytogenetic characterization of alpaca (Lama pacos, fam. Camelidae) prometaphase chromosomes. Cytogenet Genome Res 115:138-144[6].
- ^ Balmus G, Trifonov VA, Biltueva LS, O'Brien PC, Alkalaeva ES, Fu B, Skidmore JA, Allen T, Graphodatsky AS, Yang F, Ferguson-Smith MA. et al. (2007)Cross-species chromosome painting among camel, cattle, pig and human: further insights into the putative Cetartiodactyla ancestral karyotype. Chromosome Res 15(4):499-515[7]
- ^ Stanley HF, Kadwell M, Wheeler JC (1994) Molecular evolution of the family Camelidae: a mitochondrial study. Proc R Soc Lond B 256: 1-6 [8].
- ^ Skidmore JA, Billah M, Binns M, Short RV, Allen WR (1999)Hybridizing Old and New World camelids: Camelus dromedarius Lama guanicoe. Proc Biol Sci 266: 649-656 [9]
- ^ What secrets lie within the camel's hump?, Lund University, Sweden, Accessed 7 January 2008
- ^ Unique properties of the camel erythrocyte membrane, NCBI, 5 April 1975
- ^ Dromedary, Hannover Zoo, Accessed 8 January 2008
- ^ 'Camelized' antibodies make waves, news story, Robert Koenig, Science, 318:1373, 30 November 2007. Lund University (Lunds universitet located in Lund in southernmost Sweden is one of Sweden 's most prestigious Universities and one of Scandinavia "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI) is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM a branch of the National Institutes
- ^ Fresh from your local drome'dairy'? Food and Agriculture Organization, July 6, 2001
- ^ Plague from Eating Raw Camel Liver, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vol 11, No. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in unincorporated 9, September 2005
- Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999). "Camel", p. 127
- Camels and Camel Milk. Report Issued by FAO, United Nations. (1982)
- Plague from Eating Raw Camel Liver, Center for Disease Control
- National plan sought to manage camel population, ABC (2005)
- Wilson, RT. "The Camel".
- Bulliet, Richard W. "The Camel and the Wheel".
- The Technology of Making Cheese from Camel Milk (Camelus dromedarius) Animal Production and Health Paper Issued by FAO, United Nations. (2001)
See also
External links
- Use of camels by South African police
- National Camel Research Centre, Bikaner (Rajasthan), India
- The A-Z of Camels
- Pet camel stomps, suffocates owner
- Camels: God's gift to the Bedouin
- Livius.org: Camels and dromedaries
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