CAMEL,
common name for two species of large ruminant, constituting
the typical genus, Camelus, of the family Camelidae,
and native to the desert regions of Asia and northern Africa. Both
species have been domesticated since ancient times. The dromedary,
or Arabian camel, C. dromedarius, has one hump,
and the Bactrian camel, C. bactrianus, has two
humps. The humps are stores of flesh and fat, absorbed as nutrition
when food is scarce. A camel can subsist without water for several
days. Its stomach has many diverticula, or pouches, each closed
by a sphincter muscle; water is stored in the pouches and released
as required. The Arabian camel usually stands 1.8 m (6 ft) tall
at the shoulders. The hump rises about 30 cm (about 12 in) above
the back. The Bactrian camel has shorter legs, is about 1.5 m (about
5 ft) in height at the shoulders, but usually has a heavier torso
than the dromedary.
The Arabian camel, unknown in the wild state, is found from
northwestern India and the lowlands of Afghanistan to the extremity
of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia to the south and westward across
the African deserts. Attempts have been made to introduce the species
into Australia, Spain, Zanzibar, and the southwestern U.S., but
without lasting success. The Arabian camel is singularly adapted
to subsistence in the desert by its structural qualities and by
its ability to bite off and consume the thorny plants that grow
there. Thick, broad sole pads and thick callosities on the joints
of the legs and on the chest, upon which it rests in a kneeling
position, enable it to withstand the heat of the desert sand. Moreover,
its nostrils may be closed against flying dust, and its eyes are
shielded by very long eyelashes. Its acute sense of smell is valuable
in locating supplies of water.
The Bactrian camel is better adapted, by virtue of its smaller
size and heavier build, harder and more cloven feet, longer and
finer wool, and other qualities, to a rocky and cooler region; its
home is Central Asia, from northern Chinese Turkistan (now part
of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) to Mongolia. Its endurance is
as remarkable, under different circumstances, as that of the Arabian
camel, for it withstands the rigorous climate of the Tibetan Plateau,
where the temperature rises to 60° C (140° F)
in summer and sinks to arctic cold in winter. A wild race of the
Bactrian species is found in Central Asia.
The endurance and strength of the camel have made it a valuable
beast of burden. Loads as great as 454 kg (1000 lb) can be carried
by the Bactrian camel, and although its pace is only about 4 km/hr
(about 2.5 mph), it can travel as many as 47 km (29 mi) in a day.
The Arabian camel, generally used as a saddle animal, can cover
more than 161 km (100 mi) in a day. The flesh and milk of the camel
are used as food and the hide for leather. The long hair, shed every
summer, is made into cordage, fine paintbrushes, and a light, warm, long-napped
cloth.
In 2003 the world had an estimated 19 million camels.