Would you like one lump or two with that?
A few facts about a popular mode of transportation around here.
Camels are large ruminant natives of the desert regions of Asia and northern Africa. There are two kinds of camels: the Arabian, or dromedary camel, which has one hump, and the Bactrian camel, which has two humps. The humps are stores of flesh and fat—not water as generally assumed. The hump will become flaccid when food is scarce and the stores of fat are absorbed as nutrition. A camel can subsist without water for several days. The Arabian camel usually stands 7 ft tall at the shoulders. The hump rises about 12 in above the back. The Bactrian camel has slightly shorter legs, is about 6.5 ft in height at the shoulders, but usually has a heavier torso than the dromedary. Both types of camels have been domesticated since ancient times.
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 Spain, Zanzibar, and the southwestern United States, but with no lasting success. In Australia, a population of about 25,000 feral Arabian camels still remains from an attempt at introduction that took place from 1840 to 1907. The Arabian camel is 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, camels have the ability of closing their nostrils against flying dust or sand, and their eyes are shielded by very long eyelashes that act as a protective barrier, as well.
The Bactrian camel is better adapted to a rocky and cooler region, by virtue of its smaller size and heavier build, harder and more cloven feet, longer and finer wool, and other qualities. The original distribution of the Bactrian camel extended over the dry steppes and semi-desert of central Asia to Mongolia. Its current distribution is southwestern Mongolia and northwestern China; there are fewer than 1000 Bactrian camels in the wild. In fact, the wild Bactrian camel is on the endangered species list. 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 140° F in summer and sinks to arctic cold in winter.
Camels are herbivores, with the ability to consume and digest most types of desert vegetation regardless of thorns. These animals are known for their ability to conserve water, although no evidence exists that they store the water anywhere in their stomachs. Desert vegetation provides the camels with water sufficient for several months. When camels do have the opportunity to drink, though, they can consume up to 30 gallons of water at a time to replenish their reserves. The metabolism of a camel also allows it to consume brackish or salt water without getting sick. Another water conserving mechanism allows their body temperature to rise between 11° and 14.5° F to minimize sweating.
The endurance and strength of the camel have made it a valuable beast of burden. The Bactrian camel can carry loads as great as 1000 lb, and although its pace is only about 2.5 mph, it can travel as many as 29 miles in a day. The Arabian camel, generally used as a saddle animal, can cover more than 100 miles in a day. The flesh and milk of the camel are used as food and the hide for leather. Cheese made from the milk has long been considered a delicacy in northern and western Africa. Their long hair, shed every summer, is made into cordage, fine paint brushes, and a light, warm, long-napped cloth.
So a camel may not be your first choice for getting from point A to point B, but they are so much more than just a mode of transportation.
From "The Sahel-O", 30 January 2002
The "Ship of the Desert" has a secret!
Muslims know the first 99 names of God. Often they can be seen with their prayer beads repeating these names. Muslim folklore has it that only the camel knows the hundredth name of God.
Activities
- Stand up camel pattern (pdf document)
- Paper plate camel pattern (pdf document)
- Enchanted Learning
