Which horse can be called the fastest in the world? Camel speed
Camel (Camelus) - large mammal the family of camelids of the artiodactyl order of the suborder Callosopods with a desert habitat, divided into two species: Bactrian (or Bactrian camel) and Dromedar (One-humped camel). Camels of both species have been considered domesticated for more than 5,000 years and are used mainly as pack and draft animals.
In the mountains and areas with humid climate camels cannot exist. In the process of evolution, camels have developed a number of adaptations to the conditions of deserts and dry steppes. Camels eat desert plants that other animals eat poorly or not at all; are content with less water and can drink salt water. Unlike other ruminants, camels have two incisors in the upper jaw.
The parts of the camel's body that come into contact with the ground while lying down are equipped with calloused formations; camels have pectoral, wrist, elbow and knee calluses. Thanks to this, camels are able to lie down on hot (up to 70°C) soil. Both hooves of each leg of a camel are of insignificant size. Camels rest on a wide, soft paw, which makes walking on the sand easier.
The weight of an adult animal ranges from 500-800 kilograms, life expectancy is from 30 to 50 years.
Camels live in Central Asia. They are also found from Asia Minor to Manchuria. One-humped camels can also be found in North Africa, where they are common as pets, as well as in the Middle East all the way to India.
A camel can go without food for about a month. This is facilitated by the very body fat on the back of the animal, which we used to call humps.
Camels swim well. This is true, despite the fact that most of them have never encountered large bodies of water.
Camels live in harems. In groups of up to 15 individuals, several females and their offspring usually have one male. Sometimes you can find animals leading a solitary lifestyle.
The camel is a herbivore. Its multi-chambered stomach is capable of digesting almost any plant food, including prickly and salty foods.
Bactrian camels are different from one-humped camels. Bactrians have shorter legs, and the camel itself is more massive. Perhaps this is why dromedary camels are more playful - in 11 hours they are able to cover a distance of 200 kilometers.
The camel can withstand the desert heat well thanks to its humps. Oddly enough, camel humps are not adapted to storing moisture. The camel is protected from the heat of the day (as well as from the cold of the night) by its thick fur and 8-degree fluctuations in body temperature, which reduces the risk of overheating (including sweating) and hypothermia. When breathing, the liquid released from the nostrils does not leave the body, as it accumulates in a special fold, and then returns through the mouth back into the animal’s body. It is also important for tolerating a dry climate that a camel that reaches water, thanks to the special oval shape of its red blood cells, is able to drink from 60 to 100 liters of water in a relatively short time. short time(it’s not for nothing that they say: “What are you drinking like a camel?”). It is worth noting that the camel is an unpretentious animal in terms of water consumption - it is able to drink both clean and stagnant or salty water. Well, and finally, due to the elongated nephrons in the kidneys, camel feces are highly concentrated and, accordingly, less moist.
The camel is very hardy. In a day, he can carry from 200 to 300 kilograms of weight over a distance of 50 kilometers or more.
Camel milk is very healthy. It contains a lot of substances necessary for the body (iron, calcium, magnesium, etc.), a high concentration of vitamins C and D, but there is much less casein, which makes it difficult for the body to absorb dairy products, than in the familiar cow's milk. When consuming camel milk, it is necessary to remember that, due to its special properties, it may not be immediately absorbed by an organism that is not accustomed to it.
In the East they organize camel racing. For example, in the UAE (United United Arab Emirates), where on the roads you can easily see a sign: “Caution! Camels!” For Arabians, camel racing is not just an exciting spectacle, but also a national tradition. Races are held here from October to April almost every week.
Camels are known for their vindictiveness. They are quite insidious and vindictive. IN Saudi Arabia, for example, cases were recorded when camels took revenge on a person for members of their herd who were offended by him. The character of a camel is generally quite harmful: force it to do something against its will - you will get an angry, biting, kicking, roaring animal.
In ancient times, camels took part in battles. They were used in ancient and medieval armies both for transporting goods and riders, and for battles. In this case, two warriors were placed on a camel: one was the driver, the second was an archer.
Among the sands of the hot desert lives a beautiful, majestic animal - the camel. It's not called the ship of the desert for nothing. Since ancient times, people have noticed the camel's ability to easily move across the sands, withstand storms, drought and other harsh environmental conditions. People fell in love with the animal so much that it was domesticated and began to help in the household.
“God's gift” is how the name of the dromedary camel is translated from Arabic. The specific appearance of these animals delights visitors to zoos and circuses.
What types of camels are there?
Today there are two types of animals: the two-humped camel and the one-humped camel. In addition, there are individuals living in wild environment and domesticated. The scientific name of the two-humped camel is Bactrian, and the one-humped camel is dromedary. Often there is another name for the dromedary camel - jemmel, translated as “Arabian camel”. According to species, they belong to a special family allocated for them - Camelidae.
Appearance of a two-humped and one-humped camel
So, dromedaries are slimmer individuals. They are tall (2.5 meters) and have long slender legs, they weigh only 350-700 kilograms. In addition, their fur has an ash-yellow tint.
Another thing is the Bactrian camel, whose name is Bactrian. Their fur is thick and their height reaches 2.7 meters. Animals with two humps weigh up to 800 kilograms. The color is also different - in Bactrians it is gray-yellow.
Nevertheless, one-humped and two-humped camels have a large number of similar features, thanks to which they were included in a special order - Calloused. The point is the special structure of the foot, which allows them to walk unhindered on the sand.
When walking, a camel does not rely on its hoof, but on several phalanges of its toes, forming a unique cushion-callus. Camels have two such supporting toes. They are forked and appearance resemble the hooves of artiodactyls.
Camels are also distinguished by their neck, which bends downwards.
Adaptability to harsh desert conditions
To feel great in dry, hot desert conditions, animals have a number of features. The main thing in the desert is to retain as much fluid as possible and overcome overheating. The long hair of camels is designed to combat overheating. The dromedary camel has less hair. Most likely, this is due to the fact that these animals do not occur in nature. Another thing is the two-humped camel. His coat is long (winter) or medium length (summer). But in any case, it is very dense and thick. This creates an excellent barrier for the camel that does not allow hot or cold air to pass through.
In the desert, the differences between day and night temperatures are very large - for this, camels have another unique property: wide range of body temperature. The animal can withstand temperatures from minus 35 to 40 degrees Celsius. If an ordinary mammal, at a constant permissible body temperature, turns on the mechanisms of thermoregulation with a slight change in it, then the camel turns on these mechanisms (sweating) only at temperatures above 40 degrees. This not only creates comfort for the animal, but also helps retain precious moisture.
The animal's specific nostrils also help prevent wasting water reserves and conserving it.
They have a slot-like shape and close very tightly. In addition, a special partition in the nasal cavity accumulates steam, condenses it and directs it into the oral cavity. This way, not a drop of water is wasted.
The special device of the nostrils performs another important function- they help the camel breathe during a sandstorm. And large eyelashes protect the eyes from grains of sand getting there.
The kidneys and intestines help retain moisture. The former produce very concentrated urine, while the latter produces dehydrated manure.
How do camels accumulate moisture? Animals can absorb water phenomenally quickly: in 10 minutes up to 150 liters. Life-giving moisture accumulates in the stomach. In the heat, camels may not feel thirsty for up to 5 days, and a dromedary camel - up to 10, if it does not perform heavy work. physical work. like this unique feature provides animals special structure red blood cells - they have an oval shape, which means they retain moisture longer.
Why does a camel have a hump?
A distinctive feature by which even children can easily recognize a camel is its hump. It is a mistake to believe that it contains a supply of water. No. Adipose tissue is concentrated in the hump - it contains nutrients that the animal consumes when necessary as food or drink. After all, it is known that water is a by-product of the breakdown of fat.
It is interesting that the well-being of an animal is judged by its humps. If they stick up - the camel is in perfect condition physical fitness. Otherwise, the humps sag or disappear completely.
Habitat of two-humped and one-humped camels
Previously, the wild Bactrian camel lived throughout Asia, but nowadays it can only be found in the Gobi Desert. Domesticated Bactrian is still found in many Asian countries, such as China, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, Kalmykia, and Kazakhstan. Since the 19th century, the Bactrian camel has been used even in Siberia. Accustomed to the harsh climatic conditions, it is ideal for transporting goods.
The Bactrian camel is becoming increasingly rare in the desert. They are being actively domesticated.
Arabian Peninsula and North Africa - habitat dromedary camels. IN wildlife dromedaries are very rare. They do not have such a layer of wool as Bactrians, so they prefer warm climate. They can be found in Pakistan or India; dromedary camels also reach Turkmenistan. Dromedaries also liked Australia - they were brought there about a thousand years ago.
Camel lifestyle
The area where the two-humped camel lives (as well as the one-humped camel) is desert or semi-desert with low vegetation. They lead mainly sedentary image life, however, can roam over impressive distances, because the territory of their sites is very vast. “Wandering a lot” - this is how “camel” is translated from the Old Church Slavonic language.
During the day, in the sweltering heat, the animals rest and lie down. They prefer to eat in the evening and morning. The usual walking speed of a camel is 10 km/h. If the animal is frightened, it can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. It is worth noting that a camel can see danger at a kilometer distance.
They live in families. The number reaches 10 individuals. The family is headed by a male, with several females and cubs subordinate to him. There are males leading a solitary lifestyle. Camels are calm and calm animals. They do not waste energy on games and conflicts.
It is worth noting that camels are excellent swimmers.
The life expectancy of the animal is 40-50 years. Mating season falls in autumn-winter. Moreover, males behave very aggressively at this time: they can attack domestic camels, lead away or kill females. The cub is born on average after a little over a year. Almost immediately the camel gets to his feet.
Until one and a half years, the female mother feeds him with her nutritious, fatty milk. The baby camel stays with its mother until puberty (3-5 years).
Adult camels have practically no enemies, but baby camels are attacked by wolves.
Animals are known for their ability to spit when in danger. It is worth noting that the Bactrian camel most often spits at another individual. A person rarely gets it. Only when, in the opinion of the animal, danger comes from it. When a camel defends itself, it kicks, bites, and can trample with its front legs.
Camel nutrition
Bitter, tough, low vegetation is what the one-humped and two-humped camels feed on. The name of the bush speaks for itself: “camel thorn.” Animals are absolutely unpretentious in their choice of food. Movable forked lips allow the camel to chew as little as possible, so thorny plants are not a hindrance for him.
Camels do not pass by any body of water: they drink copiously and with great pleasure.
Wild and domestic camels
Unfortunately, camels are becoming less and less common in the wild. One-humped animals are not found in natural environment in general, and the number of Bactrians is only 1000 individuals, which live in special reserves. We talked about the name of the Bactrian camel, listed in the Red Book - it is Bactrian.
Having no enemies among the desert inhabitants, the camel is in danger due to human activity. On the one hand, animals are caught for domestication and domestication, and on the other, their habitats are destroyed.
Domestic camels are wayward, proud animals with a sense of self-esteem. They cannot tolerate cruelty or neglect. A camel will never get to its feet at the request of its owner unless it decides for itself that it has had a good rest. The camel will not allow herself to be milked by a stranger. This must be done by a specific person and exclusively in the presence of the baby camel. Despite difficult communication with humans, camels are very loyal animals, they become attached to a good owner, and are capable of learning and training.
Benefits for humans
Man began domesticating camels quite a long time ago, almost 5 thousand years ago. In addition to physical assistance in transporting goods, animals provide valuable milk, high-quality leather, and warm fur. Even camel bone is used to make jewelry and household items for Bedouins. It’s not for nothing that animals are held in high esteem by those who breed them.
Many residents of tourist destination countries use camels to entertain visitors.
Without the participation of these hardy animals, trade in ancient times would not have taken place, and as a result, powerful civilizations would not have flourished. People would not have become acquainted with oriental spices or Chinese silk. Camels were also used in wars. By the way, there is still a camel regiment in India.
The camel also played a role in the development North America. It was with the help of these animals that goods were transported. With the invention of the railroad, camels were moved out into the natural desert environment as unnecessary, where they were destroyed by local farmers. Therefore, there are no animals left in America.
These unusual animals are not like others. Many peoples cannot imagine life without the majestic and strong camels, domesticated many centuries ago. In some countries, the wealth of families is determined by the number of camel herds. For a very long time in the East, camel pack was the standard measure of weight. And old Arabic tales, in which the “ship of the desert” appears in one way or another, are spread all over the world.
The owners of these animals claim that camels are smart and understand humans very well, but each of them has its own character. And some are just terribly stubborn!
Many of us know from school that there are different types of camels, similar friend to each other, but different in some way. What are they common features and what are the differences?
General characteristics of the family
Of course, the main distinctive feature is the presence of a hump. By the way, it is by this feature that you can easily understand what species a camel belongs to. The camelid family includes several genera that are not camels, but are very closely related to them. All of these animals are mammals. The family belongs to the suborder Callopods. The peculiar structure of the legs is one of the main characteristics of the family. All camelids do not have (functional) hooves, and the lower surface of the foot is a calloused pad. In some genera it is paired, in others it is not.
Another characteristic feature- long neck. But the most unusual, perhaps, is another feature of camelids, which is not visible to the naked eye. All members of the family have oval red blood cells, rather than round ones, like almost all other animals (and humans).
It is noteworthy that the vast majority of members of the family are excellent swimmers. In the natural habitat of camels, as a rule, there is a shortage of water; many of them have never seen lakes or rivers in their lives, so the mechanism of this phenomenon is not completely clear.
Prehistoric Alticamelus
These animals, of which today only fragments of skeletons remain, scattered throughout to the globe, were one of the most numerous representatives of " mammoth fauna" The genus included similar species of camels, the names of which were given either by the names of the researchers (for example, Knobloch's camel) or by their habitat (Alexandrian camel).
In total, modern scientists identify up to ten species of extinct camels. All of them were larger than modern ones, had very long necks, in appearance they were somewhat reminiscent of giraffes (but the resemblance is exclusively convergent). Alticamelus were common in the Cenozoic.
Bactrian with two humps
Camel species differ not only in the number of humps, but also in body size. The presence of two humps is main feature, by which you can easily determine that it is a Bactrian in front of you, but the height and weight of the animal are also important. larger and heavier than its one-humped relative and all other members of the family included in other genera.
This species tolerates heat well, but it is not afraid of moderate frosts. But high humidity for Bactrian it is destructive. It is found in the Middle and Central Asia, in Mongolia and neighboring regions of China and Russia. People have bred many breeds of Bactrian, which are widely used in the economy as draft power or camel meat and milk are very valuable, due to which they occupy an important place in the national cuisines of many nations. The thick fur of the Bactrian is of considerable interest. Large quantity Camels of this species are kept in circuses and zoos.
Khaptagay
Most sources name only such types of camels as one-humped and two-humped. But some scientists are inclined to classify haptagai as a separate species. The results speak in favor of this version genetic research and obvious external differences. Moreover, even the belief that Bactrian descended from the wild haptagai is questioned. Outwardly they are similar. But the wild camel smaller representatives domestic meat breeds.
The subspecies was first described by the famous researcher Przhevalsky. During the time of the scientist, the wild population Bactrian camels was much larger than it is now. Currently, there are only a few hundred haptagai.
All kinds of studies of these animals make it possible to better study them and determine measures that will help maintain the number of livestock. In addition, scientists are trying to establish between Bactrians. Perhaps these are still different types of camels, but at present official science does not recognize this.
Dromedar - ship of the desert
The one-humped camel is common in the Middle East and North Africa, in Asia Minor. He is also unusually hardy, unpretentious, and strong. Man domesticated the wild dromedary camel several thousand years ago, and since then the dromedary has been an integral part of the world order of several nations. Like its two-humped brother, it is of great value on the farm.
Dromedaries are not found in nature. The ancestors of this animal, which did not lend themselves to domestication, became extinct at the dawn of our era. There is information about wild dromedaries, but these are not autochthons, but wild animals that once lived with humans. And such cases are rare. There is no talk of identifying dromedaries that are lost or have run away from home as a separate species.
By comparing the types of camels, photos of which are presented in this article, you can easily identify a dromedary by the presence of a luxurious hump.
Other members of the family
Camels, llamas and vicuñas are the three genera that make up the camelid family. The types of genera are few. The genus of llamas, for example, has only two: llamas themselves (domestic) and the wild form of guanaco. The genus vicuña includes one species - vicuñas, very similar to guanacos, but even smaller in size.
Some researchers call the llama and vicuña genera New World camels. They are much smaller than dromedaries and bactrians and do not even have a hint of a hump.
Who is this Nar?
This unusual word unites a huge variety of hybrids of dromedary and bactrian. Received individuals from parents different types, like many other hybrids, are distinguished by excellent health, physical strength and endurance even greater than those of their parents. Nars are capable of producing viable offspring, but the third generation usually produces weak individuals that are of no value to breeders. Nars are crossed with both Bactrians and Dromedars, obtaining good results. Often a hybrid camel calf is born large, grows quickly, and in adulthood is even larger in size than its camel parent.
What types of hybrid camels breeders obtain depends on the purpose. With the help of crossing, they usually try to highlight some trait: length and quality of wool, specific amount of meat, endurance. There are a huge number of camel breeding schemes. Kospak, zhabray, iner, kuz, kez-nar - this is far from full list. However, hybrid individuals are not distinguished into separate species or even breeds.
In the wild, this phenomenon does not occur for the reason that the two-humped and one-humped camels have different habitats. It is noteworthy that the bunks always have one hump, but it is formed from two fused ones.
A camel is a large mammal that belongs to the placental infraclass, superorder Laurasiatheria, order Artiodactyla, suborder Callopods, family Camelidae, genus Camelus (lat. Camelus).
In a number foreign languages the word “camel” sounds similar to its Latin name: in English the camel is called camel, the French call it chameau, the Germans - Kamel, and the Spaniards - camello.
The origin of the Russian-language name of the animal has two versions. According to one of them, in the Gothic language a camel was called “ulbandus”, but, interestingly, this name applied to an elephant. And the confusion arose from the fact that the people who named the large animal that way had never seen either camels or camels. Then the Slavs adopted the word, and “ulbandus” turned into “camel”. A more plausible version identifies the name of the animal with its Kalmyk name “byurgyud”. But no one doubts the fact that the camel is a real ship of the desert, covering hundreds of kilometers across the vast expanses of sand.
Camel - description, characteristics, structure.
A camel is an animal that has quite large sizes: average height at the withers adult is about 210-230 cm, and the weight of a camel reaches 300-700 kg. Particularly large individuals weigh more than a ton. The body length is 250-360 cm for two-humped camels, 230-340 cm for one-humped camels. Males are always larger than females.
The anatomy and physiology of these mammals are a clear indication of their adaptability to life in harsh and arid conditions. The camel has a strong, dense build, a long U-shaped curved neck and a rather narrow, elongated skull. The animal's ears are small and round, sometimes almost completely buried in thick fur.
The large eyes of a camel are reliably protected from sand, sun and wind by thick, long eyelashes. The nictitating membrane, the third eyelid, protects the animal's eyes from sand and wind. The nostrils are shaped like narrow slits that can close tightly, preventing moisture loss and protecting during sandstorms.
Taken from the site: ephemeralimpressions.blogspot.ru
A camel has 34 teeth in its mouth. The animals' lips are rough and fleshy, adapted for tearing off thorny and tough vegetation. The upper lip is forked.
Large calluses are located on the chest, wrists, elbows and knees of domestic animals, allowing the mammal to painlessly lower itself and lie on the hot ground. Wild individuals do not have calluses on their elbows and knees. Each camel's leg ends in a cloven foot with some kind of claw located on a calloused pad. Two-toed feet are ideal for walking on rocky and sandy terrain.
The camel's tail is quite short in relation to the body and is about 50-58 cm. At the end of the tail there is a tassel formed by a tuft of long hair.
Camels have a thick and dense coat that prevents moisture from evaporating in hot weather and provides warmth on cold nights. The camel's fur is slightly curly, and its color can be very diverse: from light to dark brown and almost black. On the back of the animals’ heads there are paired glands that secrete a special odorous secretion, with which camels mark their territory by bending their necks and wiping themselves on stones and soil.
Contrary to popular belief, a camel's hump contains fat, not water. For example, the hump of a Bactrian camel contains up to 150 kg of fat. The hump protects the animal's back from overheating and is a reservoir for energy reserves. There are 2 closely related species of camels: one-humped and two-humped, having, respectively, 1 or 2 humps, laid evolutionary development, as well as some differences associated with living conditions.
Camels retain fluid in the scar tissue of the stomach, so they can easily tolerate long-term dehydration. The structure of camels' blood cells is such that during prolonged dehydration, when another mammal would have died long ago, their blood does not thicken. Camels can survive without water for a couple of weeks, and without food they can live for about a month. The red blood cells of these animals are not round, but oval in shape, which is a rare exception among mammals. Without access to water for a long time, a camel can lose up to 40% of its weight. If an animal loses 100 kg in a week, then after receiving water it will quench its thirst within 10 minutes. In total, the camel will drink more than 100 liters of water at a time and make up for the lost 100 kg of weight, recovering literally before our eyes.
All camels have excellent eyesight: they are able to spot a person a kilometer away, and a moving car 3-5 km away. Animals have a well-developed sense of smell: they sense a source of water at a distance of 40-60 km, easily anticipate the approach of a thunderstorm and go to where the showers will occur.
Despite the fact that the majority of these mammals have never seen large bodies of water, camels can swim well, tilting their bodies slightly to the side. A camel runs at an amble, and the speed of a camel can reach 23.5 km/h. Some individuals of wild haptagai are capable of accelerating up to 65 km/h.
Enemies of camels in nature.
Basic natural enemies camel is . Previously, when camels were found in their habitats, they also attacked both wild and domestic animals.
Life expectancy of a camel.
On average, a camel lives about 40-50 years. This applies to both one-humped and two-humped species. Life expectancy in captivity ranges from 20 to 40 years.
What does a camel eat?
Camels are able to digest very rough and non-nutritious food. Bactrian camels eat various shrub and semi-shrub vegetation in the desert: saltwort, camel thorns, barnyard grass, parfolia, sand acacia, wormwood, onions, ephedra, and young branches of saxaul. With the onset of cold weather in rare oases, animals feed on reeds and eat poplar leaves. In the absence of main sources of food, Bactrians do not disdain the skins and bones of dead animals, as well as any products made from these materials. The dromedary camel feeds on any plant foods, including rough, hard and salty foods.
By consuming succulent grass, a camel can live without water for up to 10 days, obtaining the necessary moisture from the vegetation. Desert animals visit springs once every few days, and the camel drinks a lot at a time. For example, a Bactrian camel is capable of drinking 130-135 liters of water at a time. A notable feature of khaptagai (wild Bactrian camels) is their ability to drink without harming the body brackish water, while domestic camels do not drink it.
All camels can withstand prolonged hunger, and it has been scientifically proven that overfeeding has a much worse effect on the health of these animals. By autumn, in years with abundant food, camels noticeably gain weight, but in winter they suffer much more than other animals: due to the lack of real hooves, they are not able to dig through snowdrifts in search of suitable food.
Domestic camels are extremely indiscriminate in their food and are practically omnivorous. In captivity or in a zoo, animals happily eat fresh grass and silage, any compound feed, vegetables, fruits, grain, branches and foliage of trees and shrubs. Also, the diet of domestic camels must include salt bars to satisfy the body's need for salt.
The three-chambered stomach helps the animal digest food. The mammal swallows food without first chewing, then regurgitates the partially digested food, the cud, and chews it.
Types of camels, photos and names.
The camel genus includes 2 species:
- Bactrian camel.
Below is a more detailed description of them.
The dromedary, or one-humped camel, has survived to this day exclusively in its domestic form, not counting newly feral individuals. “Dromedary” is translated from Greek as “running,” and the animal was nicknamed “Arabian” in honor of Arabia, where these camels were domesticated. Dromedaries, like Bactrians, have very long, calloused legs, but are more slender in build. Compared to two-humped camels, one-humped camels are much smaller: the body length of adult individuals is 2.3-3.4 m, and the height at the withers reaches 1.8-2.1 m. The weight of a one-humped camel ranges from 300 to 700 kg.
The head of a dromedary has elongated facial bones, a convex forehead, a hook-nosed profile, the lips are not compressed like those of a large cattle. The cheeks are enlarged, the lower lip is often drooping. The neck of the dromedary camel has developed muscles. A small mane grows along the upper edge of the neck, and at the bottom there is a short beard that reaches the middle of the neck. The forearms have no edges. In the area of the shoulder blade there is an edge in the form of “epaulettes”, which consists of long curled hair and is absent in Bactrian camels.
Also, the one-humped camel differs from the two-humped camel in that the first does not tolerate frost at all, while the second is adapted to existence in extreme conditions. low temperatures. The coat of dromedaries is dense, but not particularly thick and long; such fur does not warm, but only prevents intense loss of fluid. On cold nights, the body temperature of a dromedary camel drops significantly; in the sun, the body warms up extremely slowly, and the camel sweats only when the temperature exceeds 40 degrees. Most long hair grow on the animal's neck, back and head. The color of dromedaries is predominantly sandy, but dromedary camels are dark brown, reddish-gray or white.
This is the most major representative kind and the most valuable pet for most Asian peoples. The Bactrian camel got its name from Bactria, the area in Central Asia where it was domesticated. A small number of wild Bactrian camels, called haptagai, have survived to this day: several hundred individuals live in China and Mongolia, preferring the most inaccessible landscapes.
The Bactrian camel is a very large and heavy animal: the body length reaches 2.5-3.6 m, and the average height of adult individuals is 1.8-2.3 meters. The height of animals, including humps, can reach up to 2.7 m. The length of the tail is 50-58 cm. Typically, a mature camel weighs from 450 to 700 kg. Male camels of the valuable Kalmyk breed, fattened over the summer, can weigh from 800 kg to 1 ton, the weight of females ranges from 650 to 800 kg.
The Bactrian camel has a dense body and long limbs. Bactrians are distinguished by a particularly long, curved neck, which first bends down and then rises again, so the animal's head is in line with its shoulders. The humps of a camel are located at a distance of 20-40 cm from each other (meaning the distance between the bases of the humps), forming a saddle between them - a place where a person can sit. The distance from the saddle to the ground is about 170 cm, so before climbing onto the camel's back, the rider must order the animal to kneel or lie down on the ground. The space between the humps is not filled with fat even in the most well-fed individuals.
An indicator of the health and fatness of a Bactrian camel is its elastic, evenly standing humps. In emaciated animals, the humps completely or partially fall to the side and dangle while walking. The Bactrian camel has an extremely thick and dense coat with developed undercoat, ideal for living in harsh conditions. continental climate with its sultry summer and cold, snowy winters. It is noteworthy that in the usual biotopes of Bactrians in winter the thermometer drops below -40 degrees, but the animals tolerate such frost painlessly.
The structure of the fur of a Bactrian camel is very unique: the hairs are hollow inside, which significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of the coat, and each hair is surrounded by thin hairs of undercoat, between which air accumulates and is well retained, also reducing heat loss. The length of the Bactrian's coat is 5-7 cm, but on the lower part of the neck and the tops of the humps the hair length exceeds 25 cm. The longest hair grows on these camels in the fall, and in the winter the Bactrians look the most pubescent. With the onset of spring, Bactrian camels molt: the hair begins to fall out in clumps and then the Bactrians look especially unkempt and shabby, but by summer the short coat takes on a normal appearance.
The usual color of the Bactrian camel is brown-sand of varying intensity, sometimes very dark, reddish or very light. Among domestic Bactrian camels, the most common individuals are brown in color, but gray, white and almost black specimens are also found. Light-colored camels are the rarest and make up only 2.8% of the total population.
What is the difference between domestic and wild Bactrian camels?
There are some differences between domestic and wild Bactrian camels:
- Wild camels (khaptagai) are slightly smaller in size than domestic camels and are not as dense, but rather lean; their footprints are thinner and more elongated;
- Khaptagai have a much narrower muzzle, shorter ears, their pointed humps are not as large and voluminous as those of their domestic relatives;
- The body of khaptagai is covered with reddish-brown-sandy fur. In domestic animals, the coat may be light, sandy yellow or dark brown;
- The wild camel haptagai runs much faster than the domestic one;
- But the main difference between a domestic camel and a wild one is that khaptagai have completely absent callous formations on the chest and knees of the front legs.
Camel hybrids, photos and names.
Since ancient times, the population of countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan has practiced interspecific hybridization of camels, that is, they crossed one-humped and two-humped camels. Hybrids have great value in the national economy of these countries. Below is a description of the hybrids:
Nar– a hybrid of camels of the first generation, crossed using the Kazakh method. When female Kazakh Bactrian camels are crossed with male Turkmen Bactrian camels of the Arvana breed, a viable cross is obtained. Hybrid females are called nar-maya (or nar-maya), males are called nar. In appearance, the bunk looks like a dromedary and has one elongated hump, which consists of 2 humps fused together. The offspring always exceeds the parents in size: the height at the shoulders of an adult bunk is from 1.8 to 2.3 m, and the weight can exceed 1 ton. The annual milk yield of a female Nara with a fat content of up to 5.14% can exceed 2000 liters, while for dromedaries the average milk yield is 1300-1400 liters per year, and for Bactrians no more than 800 liters per year. Nars, in turn, are capable of producing offspring, which is rare among hybrid specimens, but their young are usually weak and sickly.
Iner (iner) is also a hybrid of first-generation camels obtained by the Turkmen method, namely: by crossing a female Turkmen dromedary camel of the Arvana breed with a male Bactrian camel. The hybrid female is called iner-maya (or iner-maya), the male is called iner. The iner, like the bunk, has one elongated hump, is distinguished by high rates of milk yield and wool clipping, and also has a powerful physique.
Zharbay, or jarby– a rare second-generation hybrid obtained by crossing first-generation camel hybrids. Experienced camel breeders try to avoid such reproduction, since the offspring are low productive, sickly, often with obvious deformities and signs of degeneration in the form of severely deformed joints of the limbs, a curved chest, and so on.
Kospak– a camel hybrid obtained by crossing the absorption type of Nar-May females with a male Bactrian camel. Quite a promising hybrid in terms of increased meat mass and high milk productivity. It is also recommended for breeding for further crossing in order to increase the small population of another camel hybrid, kez-nar.
Kez-nar- a group of hybrid camels, which are the result of crossing Cospak females with dromedary males of the Turkmen breed. As a result, individuals appear that exceed the cospaks in weight, and are ahead of the nar-may in height at the withers, milk production and wool clipping.
Kurt- a group of hybrid camels obtained by crossing the iner-may with males of the Turkmen dromedary. Kurt is a one-humped hybrid; the animal's forearms are slightly pubescent. Milk productivity is quite high, although the fat content of the milk is low, and the kurt is not a record holder in terms of the amount of wool sheared.
Kurt-nar- hybrid camels bred by crossing Kurt hybrid females and Bactrian males of the Kazakh breed.
- a hybrid of a dromedary camel and a llama. The resulting hybrid has no hump, the animal's fur is fluffy, very soft, up to 6 cm long. The kama's limbs are long, very strong, with double hooves, so the hybrid can be used as a hardy pack animal, capable of carrying loads weighing up to 30 kg. Kama has rather small ears and long tail. Height at the withers varies from 125 to 140 cm, and weight from 50 to 70 kg.
Both species were domesticated by humans about 6 thousand years ago.
2. Sandstorms, which often happen in deserts, are not scary for the camel. In order to protect the eyes from sand, the camel has thick eyelashes. And in order to prevent sand from getting into the lungs, the camel knows how to tightly close its nostrils.
3. Camels are unusually hardy: they walk 40 km a day, carrying loads weighing up to 300 kg, and when light they can walk over 100 km a day at a speed of 10-12 km/hour. Maximum speed camel race 25 km/h.
4. Camels can immediately replace a goat, a cow, a horse and a sheep for a person, because they can provide a person with meat, milk, and wool, and, moreover, are an amazingly hardy means of transportation. The camel is called the "Ship of the Desert".
5. Bactrian camels are able to withstand not only heat but also cold very well.
6. Pregnancy in a camel lasts from 12 to 14 months. Usually one baby camel is born, which by the end of the first day can already walk. The camel's milk is very concentrated; she feeds the baby camel for up to 10 months, although from the age of 3 months he tries plant food.
2 month old baby
7. The only large population of wild dromedary camels, numbering up to 100 thousand animals, lives in Australia.
8. When carrying loads, camels can go without water for a week, and without load - up to 20 days. If a camel gets to water, it quickly compensates for the entire lost volume of fluid, drinking up to 130 liters of water at a time (camels can also drink salt water).