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All images on this page are courtesy GULF NEWS. Reproduced with permission.
Here are my vital statistics! I have a single hump. My head and body length is 10 feet. My shoulder height: 6-7 feet. I weigh 1000-1500 pounds (450 to 680 Kg). My body is carried on long, slender legs ending in two toes beneath which is a broad, callous and elastic pad. My Neck and head are both elongated. My Upper lip is deeply cleft. I have a short tail. My Eyes are heavily lashed. My ears are haired. My nostrils are slit-like. My coloration is fawn or beige. My coat is smooth and shorter than that of the Bactrian camel, but equally woolly.
I am well adapted to the dry desert climate. My long eyelashes protect my eyes from sand and a third eyelid acts as a windshield wiper, moving from side to side to wipe the sand away. A broad ridge of bone above my eyes serves as a sun visor and nostrils close to keep the sand from getting in. My feet are large and soft, making it easy for me to navigate on sandy surfaces.
I can eat practically anything that grows in the desert, including salty plants rejected by other grazers. When hungry, I will eat fish, meat, bones and skin. My diet in captivity includes hay and grains plus vitamin and mineral supplements.
I have the unique ability to find water in the desert. My owner fill containers and waters me from them. I can drink between 60-100 liters of water in a space of 15 minutes. On average I need only to be watered every three to four days.
God created me for life in the desert. My feet are broadened to walk on sand. My eyelashes protect my eyes from wind-blown sand. My nostrils close to keep sand out. My lips are thickened to withstand the coarsest of desert plants. My coloration matches the environment. I have calluses on my knees and other parts of the body that touch the hot sand so that when I sit down on the hot sand I am not uncomfortable.
I have a hump which is a flesh mound not supported by bones. Everyone thinks I store water in my hump, but I actually store fat there. My hump size varies with food supply and working conditions. I can tolerate a rise in temperature of 12 degrees Fahrenheit. I am able to drink brackish or salt water. I exhibit an unusual tolerance for dehydration - most animals perish when 20% of their body weight is lost, but not me! I am unique!. I can survive a 40% loss of body weight without serious consequences. My heavy fur and the fatty hump serve to insulate the body, preventing body temperature from rising to the sweating point (the major cause of water loss). I can go for a long time without water but when water again becomes available, I can restore my body water quickly; I can drink one third of my body weight in 10 minutes.
I run like a giraffe with both legs on one side of the body moving simultaneously. The resulting rocking, shuffling gait gave rise to the term "Ship of the Desert". I have served man faithfully for centuries. But I am also known for my loathing of men and all forms of work. I spit foul-smelling stomach contents when annoyed. Arabs utilize almost every portion of my body. Tents are made of camel-hair cloth. The flesh of young camel is said to taste similar to veal. Camel milk is nutritious and cheese is also made from it. Skin makes good leather. Dried bones are substituted for ivory. Dung is burned as fuel on the desert.
I am an ordinary camel and can cover about four miles an hour (6,4km/hr) when walking. When trotting, this increases to about eight miles an hour (12,8Km/hr), At high speed some camels can run at ten miles an hour (16km/hr) and are able to cover in a single day about 100 miles (160 km).
My cousins who are in the army and who race are called "Dromedary" camels. They can travel 80 to 120 miles per day carrying a rider My labourer cousins (called 'baggage camels') have a heavier build and are capable of carrying a 200 kg load up to 40 miles per day.
By the way, did you know that there are 160 words for 'camel' in Arabic?
A small peg known as a 'khezam' is tied through a small hole in my nose: from it a string is attached. The cord is held with the reins and is gently used to direct me when riding. The ordinary saddle used in Arabia is different from those used in other parts of the world. It is called a 'Khorj'. In racing the young boys, as young as 6 years old are tied down to the racing saddle so they don't fall off. A camels harness is known as 'rassan' (which includes the reins) but has no bit (as with horse riding) because I am steered with the nose string. In racing there are no stirrups and the tiny children's feet dangle or are placed up the saddle.
One day I read the book 'ROOTS' and became very curious as to where my ancestors had come from. What I found out surprised me! Fossil remains indicate that the camel family originated in North America. Camels exist only in the domesticated state in Africa and Asia. The Arabian camel has been successfully introduced into Australian desert regions where it is now feral. Attempts to introduce them into southern Europe and North America have failed.
When reading about Bedouins I found that Bedouins brand their camels and a brand known as a 'wasm' is only used on camels (and not horses). If a camel dies in the desert and the tribe or Bedouin have to leave the load while they carry on, they mark the load with the sign of the wasm. No other Bedouin who comes across the goods will touch it. The wasm is generally placed on the camel's thigh, cheek, shoulder or neck.
I do not sweat as easily as people do. I can allow my body temperature to rise 6 degrees above normal and I do not start to sweat until the air is very hot. This conserves my body water without hurting me.
I produce up to 30 embryos at a time and these may be transferred immediately to waiting recipients or can be stored indefinitely in liquid nitrogen. In February 1995 the world's first frozen embryo transfer camel baby was born, having been stored initially at - 196 degrees Centigrade and then thawed for transfer to complete its 13 month gestation in a "new" mother. In The United Arab Emirates, the Al-Ain based centre remains dedicated to improving the reproductive knowledge and efficiency the camel in its quest for the production of faster camels.
We camels, if of the right breed, are very good on rock and in mountainous country; as agile and as steady as mules. But if we are plain- or sand-bred camels and not used to rock we cut our feet, fall and break our bones. We are then taken to a hospital.
Arabian camels cannot stand mud" They slip, split their breast bones, and break up. We camels can however stand a lot of cold with impunity if it is dry; a lot of wet weather is bad for us even if the climate is warm.
Bye for now!
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