Dromedary Camel 

Conservation Status:
Stable

Description:
Dromedary camels are about 7 feet tall, and weigh 1,000-1,300 pounds.  They have one hump on their back.  Their fur is short and wooly, and most of their coat is shed for the warm season.  They have thick eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand, and heavy brows to shade their eyes from the sun.  They have 2 toes on each foot.

Range:
Northern Africa , Arabian Peninsula , and Australia (introduced). 

Habitat:
Hot deserts

Diet:
In the wild, they eat any vegetation they can find, such as grass, herbs, thin branches, and fallen leaves.  In the zoo, our camels eat alfalfa cubes, prairie hay, fruits and vegetables, and fresh branches and leaves of elm trees.

Life Cycle:
Gestation is 12-14 ½ months.  The female gives birth to a single foal.  The foal is able to walk only 2-3 hours after birth, and nurses from the mother for more than a year.  The foal becomes independent when it is 4 years old, and can reproduce at 5 years.  They can live 40-50 years.

Did You Know?

·        Camels get most of their water from the plants that they eat.  When they have access to water, they can drink 30 gallons at once, and can then survive for months without drinking.

·        Their hump stores fat, which helps them to survive when food is scarce.  After several days without food, the hump will begin to shrink and lean to one side as the camel’s fat reserves are used up. 

·        In the winter, camels form small groups of 6-20 individuals.  Each group includes females and their young, and is led by a male.  Other males live alone.

·        The Dromedary camel is a domestic animal.  No wild populations have existed for centuries.  Feral (domestic animals that have returned to the wild) populations exist in Australia as well as the Middle East . Most populations are dependent on people, who keep the camels as beasts of burden and for their milk, meat, wool, and other products. 

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