camel

camel

This data is reviewed by the project of data compilation and application of Science Encyclopedia of science popularization in China.

Camels are mammals known as "boats of the desert.". The head is small, the neck is thick and long, curved like a gooseneck. The body is tall with brown hair. He is very thirsty. Camels can survive for two weeks without water and for a month without food. Fat is stored in the hump, which can be decomposed into nutrients needed by the body when food is not available for camel survival. In addition, there are many small bubbles in the shape of bottles in the camel's stomach, which are used to store water. Camels can be used for riding, piggyback transport, pulling carts, ploughing, etc. they are indispensable partners for people, geological explorers and archaeologists in desert and Gobi areas. Single humped camels are mainly distributed in Sudan, Somalia, India and other countries; nearly half of the Bactrian camels are distributed in Australia, and China is mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia.

Shape features

Camel head is small, neck thick long, curved as gooseneck. The body is tall with brown hair. The eyes are double eyelids, the nostrils can be opened and closed, the limbs are slender, the hooves are as big as a plate, and the two toes and plantars have thick skin, which are all suitable for walking in the sand. The tail is slender with tufts at the end. There are 1-2 humps on the back, which store fat. Camel's fur is very thick. It's very cold in desert in winter. Camel's fur is very good for keeping body temperature. Camel's thick hair reflects sunlight. Shaved camels sweat 50% more to avoid overheating. Fur also helps keep camels warm. Their long legs also keep them away from the hot ground. There are two kinds of camels: C. dromedarius, which has one hump, and C. bactrianus, which has two humps. They are about 3 meters long and more than 2 meters high, and the distance between the two humps is about 0.5 meters. Well developed villi and long hairs under the neck. The upper lip is split and easy to feed.

Distribution range

World distribution

The unimodal camel used for livestock is mainly found in Sultan, Somalia, India and nearby countries, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Bactrian camels used to be widely distributed, but only about 1.4 million are left, mainly livestock. It is estimated that about 1000 wild Bactrian camels live in the Gobi desert, and a small number live in Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. In China, it is mainly distributed in Qaidam Basin, Gansu and Inner Mongolia, and also in Central Asia. there are estimated to be as many as 700000 wild biological camels in central Australia. They are the offspring of camels introduced for transportation in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The population is growing at a rate of about 11% a year, and the government of South Australia has decided to kill the camels by aerial shooting because it has encroached on the limited resources needed to raise sheep.

Distribution in China

There are still a few rare wild Bactrian camels in China. They are large and have short limbs.

Life habit

Camels can endure hunger and thirst. Every time they drink enough water, they can still live in hot and dry desert areas without drinking water for several days. Because there are many very thin and tortuous pipes in their noses, the pipes are usually wetted by liquid. When the body is short of water, the pipes immediately stop secreting liquid, and form a hard skin on the surface of the pipes, which can absorb the exhaled water without losing the body. When breathing in, the water in the hard skin can be sent back to the body. So water is recycled in the body, so it can resist thirst. The stomach is divided into three compartments (lack of omasum) and can be ruminated. Gentle temperament, often alone activities, eating coarse grass and shrubs. Camel's temperature is 34 degrees Celsius at night and 41 degrees Celsius during the day. Only when it is above this temperature can camel begin to sweat.

Breeding Habit

The camel has one baby every two years and is pregnant for 13 months. The breeding period is from 4 to 5 months, and the pregnancy period is from 12 to 14 months. The female camel gives birth to one cub, rarely two cubs. The female camel is sexually mature at the age of 4 to 5 years, and has a life span of 35 to 40 years.

evolutionary process

Living in North America 10 million years ago, camel ancestors crossed the Bering Strait to Asia and Africa, and evolved into Bactrian camel and human domesticated humpback camel. Camels have been domesticated in central or southern Arabia for thousands of years. In about 2000 BC, camels gradually lived in the Sahara desert, but they disappeared again around 900 BC. Most of them are hunted by humans. Later, when Egypt invaded Persia, gambisis II introduced domesticated dromedaries into Persia. Domesticated humped camels were widely used in North Africa, and until then, the Roman Empire still used camel teams to patrol the edge of the desert with soldiers. But Persian camels are not suitable for crossing the Sahara desert. In the 4th century, the stronger and more durable dromedaries were introduced to Africa for the first time. More and more people began to use them because they were more suitable for long-distance travel across the desert and could carry more and heavier goods. At this time, trans Saharan trade was finally carried out.

Subspecies differentiation

Bactrian Camel

Bactrian camel is native to Turkestan, China and Mongolia in Central Asia. It was domesticated at least over 800 BC. But there are still wild camels in the wild. It is said that it lives in the Tarim Qaidam Basin of China, eastward to Mongolia. They often live in arid areas and migrate with seasonal changes. The hump of wild Bactrian camel is smaller and sharper than that of domestic camel, the body is longer and thinner than that of domestic camel, the feet are smaller than that of domestic camel, and the hair is shorter. Wild Bactrian camels are rare in number, with 4-6 camels alone, in pairs or in small groups, and rarely in large groups with 12-15 camels. Bactrian camels are very resistant to hunger and thirst, they can not drink water for more than ten days or even longer. And a drink of water up to 57 liters, in order to restore the body's normal water content. They feed on various desert plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Populus euphratica and Calligonum mongolicum, and eat almost any plant (including saline alkali plants) growing in desert and semi-arid areas. Bactrian camels are more tame, easy to ride, and suitable for carrying loads: they can carry 170-270 kilograms of things in four days, and walk about 47 kilometers a day. Their maximum speed is about 16 kilometers per hour. The male camel mostly moves alone, the fight for females is fierce in breeding season, and more males and more females move in groups, which can form a large group of 30 / 40. One child was born in 2 years, and the gestation period was 13 months. It's a world-class beast. The reproductive period is from 4 to 5 months, and the pregnancy period is from 12 to 14 months. The female camel gives birth to one cub, rarely two cubs. The female camel is sexually mature at the age of 4 to 5 years, and has a life span of 35 to 40 years. A Bactrian camel has two layers of fur: a warm inner layer of fur and a rough outer layer of long fur. The two layers of fur will mix and fall off in a mass, which can be collected and processed separately. Bactrian camel can produce about 7 kg wool fiber per year, and its structure is similar to cashmere. The down of Bactrian camel is usually 2-8 cm long, which can be used for spinning or knitting.

Humped camel

Camels have been domesticated in central or southern Arabia for thousands of years. At present, about 13 million camels have been domesticated in the world, mostly from West India to Pakistan, Iran to North Africa. There were no untrained camels in their original distribution areas, but some of them were later introduced to Australia and some to the United States, so only the camels from Australia and the United States were wild. male dromedaries have soft upper jaws that allow them to produce a pink bag. During the mating season, the bag is suspended on either side of the male's beak to attract the opposite sex. Camels have small humped ears and bushy eyelashes. the gestation period of camels is about 12 months. Usually they only give birth to one baby camel at a time, and the adult camel will take care of the baby camel himself until the baby camel is 18 months old. Female camels are sexually mature after 3-4 years old, while male camels are sexually mature after 5-6 years old. Their life span is generally 25 years, and up to 50 years. An adult dromedary can be as long as 10 feet and as high as 6 to 7 feet. They usually weigh between 1000 and 1500 pounds. Domesticated humped camels can provide milk and meat for humans, and can also be used to carry goods or passengers. In Egypt, a lot of police patrol around on camels. The single humped camel is higher than the double humped camel and runs faster. If someone controls it, it can keep the speed of 13-14 km / h.

Population status

Although about 13 million camels are still alive today, the wild species are on the verge of extinction. The unimodal camel used for livestock is mainly found in Sultan, Somalia, India and nearby countries, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. according to traditional theories, the ancestors of modern camels lived in North America 45 million years ago. They may be huge and have no toes. They only crossed Asia about 3 million years ago, and then reached the Middle East and Africa. Although camels once dominated North America for a while, they disappeared soon after human beings appeared on the American continent, along with most other species that once lived in America. The discovery of an unknown giant humped camel in central Syria, believed to have lived 100000 years ago, has led scientists to re-examine the origin of modern camels. Bactrian camels used to be widely distributed, but only about 14 million are left, mainly livestock. It is estimated that about 1000 wild Bactrian camels live in the Gobi desert, and a small number live in Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. a small number of introduced monopodal and Bactrian camels survived in the southwestern United States until the 20th century. They were imported from Turkey and used as part of the U.S. camel army's trial and were used as mine camel livestock. At the end of the project, the camels escaped or were released. Another 23 Bactrian camels were introduced to Canada during the gold rush.

Main value

Camel meat

Camel meat is rich in protein and vitamins

Chinese PinYin : Luo Tuo