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Status: Domesticated only; extinct in the wild. Diet: Grasses, salty vegetation, fruits and vegetables, hay, grain, breads. Life span: 30 to 50 years. Weight: 1000 to 1500 pounds average. Native habitat: North Africa, East Africa, India, Arabian counties.
Black Pine Animal Park 1426 W. 300 N. P.O. Box 02 Albion, IN 46701 (260) 636-7383
©2008
Professional Animal Retirement Center, Inc.
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Dromedary Camel
Dromedary camels have only one hump and are native to Arabia. The "other camel" breed is the bactrian. Bactrian camels have two humps and are native to Asia. One easy way to remember which is which is to remember a "D" (for dromedary) is made of only one "hump", while a "B" (for Bactrian) has two. The desert-dwelling dromedary is often called the "ship of the desert" because of its ability to move across vast desert ranges with very little food or water. In fact, it can go for an entire desert "winter" season without drinking a drop of water. Their large humps are a storage tank. When food and water are available, a camel will "fill up". This fuel is stored as fatty tissue and fluid in the hump. If a camel goes for a very long period without water, it can drink up to 60 gallons at one time. Camels also have the ability to eat prickly desert brushy plants because the insides of their mouths are very leathery. Their large soft-bottomed feet sport thick layers of skin to help protect from the hot, hot sand. Some wealthy animal-lovers are willing to spend thousands of dollars to own a camel. But with special needs, they can be a real challenge to keep. To learn more about keeping exotic animals as pets, click here. |
The Animals
Download a virtual 'Otto' puzzle!
"Johnny" once performed on the Ringling Bros. Barnum and
Bailey Circus. He retired in 1998 when the circus decided to replace
him with a large white camel. Johnny weighs over
2,200 pounds and stands at nearly nine feet tall.