DROMEDARY CAMELS
Camelus dromedarius are native to the desert regions of northern Africa and the near east, and are the largest of the desert mammals. A dromedary IS A CAMEL. I've encountered a few people who seem to think that dromedaries and camels are 2 different species. Dromedaries and bacterians are BOTH camels. The most common color is light to dark tan but they can also be found as dark brown, white and spotted. The camel is perfectly adapted to its hot, dry climate with its ability to conserve water and fluctuate its body temperature. The camel's hump serves as an insulator against the heat and stores fat (not water-this is stored in the stomach lining) which can be metabolized into water and energy as needed. A camel with a shrunken hump has had to draw on this reserve due to illness or lack of food. The camel's body temperature drops at night and then rises to as high as 106F reducing the difference between the temperature of the environment and their body, which in turn reduces the need to sweat in order to cool down. Their kidneys are able to concentrate urine, and moisture can be absorbed from the fecal material thus further conserving water. A camel can loose up to 40% of it's body weight in water, an amount that would be lethal in other animals, and can drink a large amount of water at one time to make up for this lack of fluid. In other animals this would create a severe osmotic imbalance, but in the camel the fluid is absorbed slowly from the stomach and intestines thus avoiding this problem. Camels in the wild exist on thorny desert plants (we have discovered that ours love thistles, they don't stand a chance to grow in the camel pen). To aid them in digesting these types of plants the camel has a complex 3 compartment stomach. They regurgitate and re-chew their food though they are not considered ruminants, and are very efficient at extracting protein and energy from poor quality vegetation. The camel's large foot has a pad that prevents it from sinking into the sand. Their long eyelashes protect their eyes from sandstorms and strong sunlight, and their eyes have an extra eyelid that acts as a windshield wiper to remove sand. They can also close their nostrils to prevent sand from entering their nose. We purchased our first camel in 1998, a weanling female, and were immediately hooked on them. They are extremely intelligent, affectionate animals that love attention from people. If they see us approaching their pen they come running for attention and treats. One of their favorite treats is carrots and every year we plant a row of carrots in our garden just for them. They also like apples and apple flavored horse treats. A couple of our camels were very shy animals when we first brought them home, but it didn't take long for them to develop trust in us and come up to the fence with the others for attention. It was our intention to enjoy our camels as they are rather than train them, though we worked with our first female a little when she was young and used her in a nativity scene. This experience has given us great respect for those who choose to train camels as it requires a lot of work and dedication which we're sure is very rewarding. We are touched at how much our female camels trust us with their babies. They have no problem with us coming into the pen and touching their babies when they are born, but let one of the other camels stick it's head over the gate and this gentle mother lets that camel know that it's not welcome. We feed our camels a grain mixture that is very similar to horse feed. They have a great need for salt and this is supplied in the form of loose salt. In addition to the grain, they eat grass in the spring and summer, and are fed grass-alfalfa hay in winter. The question we are asked most often is "How do they stand the winter?" They grow a thick coat of hair which keeps them warm even in our Iowa winters.
Camel in a snow storm
Our male camel, Tor
Tor and females Kali, Makini and Kianga
Young females
Kali and Tor
"Cookie", the first baby camel that was born on our farm