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THE name camel comes via the Greek kàųŋλος (kámē-los) from the Arabic جمل (jamal) or the Hebrew (gahmal), all meaning “camel”.
Ata Allah, God’s gift: The Bedouin name for Camelus dromedarius, the ‘one-hump’ dromedary, also known as the Arabian camel.
Body temperature: Camels do not pant, and they perspire very little. Humans start to sweat when the outside temperature rises above the normal body temperature of 37C, but the camel has a unique body thermostat. It can raise its body temperature tolerance level as much as 6C before perspiring, thereby conserving body fluids and avoiding unnecessary water loss. No other mammal can do this. Because the camel’s body temperature is often lower than air temperature, a group of resting camels will even avoid excessive heat by pressing against each other.
Ears: A camel’s ears are small, but its hearing is acute – even if, like the donkey or basset hound, it chooses to pay no attention when given a command! A camel’s ears are lined with fur to filter out sand and dust blowing into the ear canal.
Eyes: A camel’s eyes are large, with a soft, doe-like expression. They are protected by a double row of long curly eyelashes that also help keep out sand and dust, while thick bushy eyebrows shield the eyes from the desert sun.
Feet: Camels have broad, flat, leathery pads with two toes on each foot. When the camel places its foot on the ground the pads spread, preventing the foot from sinking into the sand. When walking, the camel moves both feet on one side of its body, then both feet on the other. This gait suggests the rolling motion of a boat, explaining the camel’s ‘ship of the desert’ nickname.
Food: A camel can go 5-7 days with little or no food and water, and can lose a quarter of its body weight without impairing its normal functions. These days, camels rely on man for their preferred food of dates, grass and grains such as wheat and oats, but a working camel travelling across an area where food is scarce can easily survive on thorny scrub or whatever it can find - bones, seeds, dried leaves, or even its owner’s tent!
Hair: All camels moult in spring and have grown a new coat by autumn. Camel hair is sought after world-wide for high-quality coats, garments and artists’ brushes, as well as being used to make traditional Bedouin rugs and tents. A camel can shed as much as 2.25 kilos/5lbs of hair at each moult.
Hard skin: Thick callus-like bare spots of dry skin appear on a camel’s chest and knee joints when the animal reaches five months of age. These leathery patches help support the animal’s body weight when kneeling, resting and rising.
Height: A fully-grown adult camel stands 1.85m/6 feet at the shoulder and 2.15m/7 feet at the hump.
History: Scientists believe that ancestors of the modern camel lived in North America at least 40 million years ago, wandering across the Alaskan ‘land bridge’ to Asia and eventually Africa. In Asia, two groups separated to become the two chief types of camel known today: the dromedary and the two-humped, shorter-legged Bactrian camel.
Hump: Contrary to popular belief, a camel does not store water in its hump. It is in fact a mound of fatty tissue from which the animal draws energy when food is hard to find. When a camel uses its hump fat for sustenance, the mound becomes flabby and shrinks. If a camel draws too much fat, the small remaining lump will flop from it’s upright position and hang down the camel’s side. Food and a few days’ rest will return the hump to its normal firm condition.
Legs: A camel’s long, thin legs have powerful muscles which allow the animal to carry heavy loads over long distances. A camel can carry as much as 450kg/990lbs, but a usual and more comfortable cargo weight is 150kgs/330lbs. It is usual for a camel to work as a beast of burden for only six to eight months of the year; the remainder of the time it needs to rest and recuperate.
Life span: After a gestation periods of 13 months, a camel cow usually bears a single calf, and occasionally twins. The calves walk within hours of birth, but remain close to their mothers until they reach maturity at five years of age. The normal life span of a camel is 40 years, although a working camel retires from active duty at 25.
Courtesy: https://www.arab.net/camels
