Dromedary Camel

Camelus dromedarius

Did you know that the Dromedary Camel was domesticated 4,000 years ago? There are around 13 million of these beasts of burden living around the world-- most notably in Africa, the Middle East, and in the deserts of Australia.

Most of these camels are either living as domesticated creatures, or they are surviving in feral populations. Australia, for example, had several thousand camels imported during the late 19th and early 20th century. Today there are nearly a million living in feral groups across the dry western half of the continent. These feral groups live in herds of around 20 individuals, though much larger packs have also been observed. The Camels feed on whatever vegetation they can find, including prickly, thorny plants.

Dromedary Camels are well suited to desert life. Their single hump can store up to 80lbs of fat, which converts to energy when food or water is unavailable. They are masters of co
nserving their energy, and can travel over 100 miles without any extra water! And when they do drink, they drink very fast-- Dromedary Camels can take in 10 gallons of water in as many minutes! Other desert adaptations include their long, double-rowed eyelashes (perfect for keeping sand out), closeable nostril holes, and thick feet with pads that can spread to provide traction and stability over uneven surfaces.

A Dromedary Camel can live to be 40 or 50 years old, and they reach sexual maturity by the age of 4. Young Camels are born without their humps, because they haven't consumed enough extra fuel to fill it with fat.

As adults, the Dromedary Camels are creatures that serves many purposes. They are excellent pack animals, they can pull plows and carts, and they can carry passengers. They also provide milk, meat, and fibers.

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Status : Domesticated
Location : Africa, Asia, Australia
Size : Height up to 7ft (2.1m), Weight up to 1,500lbs (680kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Camelidae -- Genus : Camelus-- Species : C. dromedarius
Images : Public Domain, Witoki

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Guanaco

Lama guanicoe

The wild Guanaco is a close, genus sharing relative of the domesticated Llama. In fact, it is believed that Llamas actually came from Guanacos around 6,000 years ago. These elegant, slender Camelids live in the arid, mountainous regions of South America. About 90% of the wild Guanacos now live in Argentina.

Guanacos are one of the largest wild herbivores in South America. Though they look slim and lanky, they can actually weigh more than 250lbs. Guanacos both graze and browse, and have a split upper lip that allows them to grasp at vegetation better. They eat many different kinds of plants, and rarely need to drink water since they derive it from their food.

Guanacos typically live in small herds that consist of a dominant male, several females, and their offspring. Young males are eventually kicked out of these herds, and will sometimes form small bachelor herds. These groups are important for the development of the young males, as they learn how to fight and maintain dominance. After 3-4 years in one of these herds, the males will embark and try to challenge older males for their females and territory.

Young Guanaco

Unlike Llamas and Alpacas, which come in a whole mess of colors, Guanacos are almost always light brown with even lighter undersides and a greyish face. They are, in fact, used for skins and wool like their relatives, and the fiber is very soft and warm. Unfortunately, excess hunting (along with other threats) has led to a sharp decline in the population. When Europeans first arrived in South America there were around 50 million of these guys, and the number is now around 600,000. Habitat loss and competition from livestock are other causes for the drop.

Luckily, the population is currently stable, thanks to habitat protection and regulated trade. While poaching does continue, the animals have a large enough range and population size to be listed at Least Concern.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : South America
Size : Shoulder height up to 4ft (1.2m), Weight up to 264lbs (120kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Camelidae -- Genus : Lama -- Species : L. guanicoe

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Aguascalientia Camels

Aguascalientia Jawbone

Today we're going to talk about two very recently discovered animals, both from the same genus. Both also happen to be extinct, and have been for about 20 million years.

Meet Aguascalientia panamaensis and Aguascalientia minuta, the two oldest creatures to be found in the country of Panama. They are extinct Camels, but are not the ancestors to modern camels or llamas. They actually belong to a separate evolutionary tree that dead-ended. The two species are very alike to one another. They sport snouts that are much longer than those in modern camels, and an overall much smaller height. That also have shorter teeth, which suggest that they were browsers.

The genus that these Camels belonged to actually dates back more than 30 million years, but they lived further north. The Isthmus of Panama didn't even exist until about the time these two species lived, so the discovery sheds some light on animal movement through the newly joined continents of North and South America.

The Fossils were uncovered as part of a 5 year excavation that started in 2009. The story was only first published a month ago, so there is still much to learn about these ancient Camels.

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Status : Extinct
Location : Panama
Size : Height up to 3ft (.9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Camelidae -- Genus : †Aguascalientia

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Bactrian Camel

Can you believe it's been an entire year of Animal A Day already? To celebrate this monumental occasion I wanted to write about one my my favorite animals that I haven't yet talked about : The Bactrian Camel. These two humped ungulates are quite interesting because there are over 1,000,000 of them, yet they are critically endangered!

You see, Bactrian Camels were domesticated over 4,000 years ago, and almost every single Camel we have left  is considered domesticated. There are only between 800 and 1,000 truly wild Bactrians left, which is why they are listed as critically endangered. In fact, the wild and domesticated Camels are considered by the IUCN and a few other groups to be separate species. C. ferus is the wild variety, while C. bactrianus is the domesticated. (Other groups class them all under C. bactrianus)

These wild herds can only be found in four small subpopulations in China and Mongolia, though their historic range spread across Asia. There are several causes for the species decline, including subsistence hunting (even in protected areas), predation, drought, competition with livestock, and interbreeding with domestic herds.

Bactrian Camels at the Milwaukee County Zoo

Wild Bactrian Camels are well adapted to harsh, arid environments where temperatures can fluctuate nearly 150 degrees Fahrenheit! They have shaggy coats that grow thicker in winter, but shed in the summer. Additionally, they have very long eyelashes and hair lined ears that keep those parts safe from blowing sand and strong winds. These Camels also have large, padded feet that assist them in moving over difficult terrain, and are able to consume just about any type of vegetation and drink brackish water to keep themselves going. Overall they are a hardy, well suited species within their wild homes.

Domesticated Bactrian Camels are a remarkably useful species to humans. They are strong and large, and can be used as both pack animals and for riding transportation. Meat and milk are consumed, hair and hides are used for a variety of purposes, and even dung can be used as fire fuel!

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IUCN Status :  Critically Endangered (wild population)
Location : Domestic populations live worldwide, wild population are restricted to China and Mongolia
Size : Hump height up to 7ft (2.2m), Weight 1,000lbs (455kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Camelidae -- Genus : Camelus -- Species : C. bactrianus, C. ferus

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Vicuña

(Image Source)

Phylum: Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Camelidae
Genus : Vicugna
Species : vicugna

Height : 2.75-3.25ft (84-99 cm)
Weight : 100-120lbs (45-55kg)

IUNC Status : Least Concern

(Image Source)

The Vicuña is one of two wild Camelids found in South America, the other being the Guanaco. They can be found in the high grasslands of the Andes Mountains, hanging out at elevations of 10,500-15,750ft (3,200-4,800m). Vicuñas are the smallest of all the Camelids, and it is believed that they are the descendants of the domesticated Alpacas.

Vicuña fibers are some of the rarest and most sought after in the world. The hairs are finer than cashmere are are warmer than wool, but only about 1lb per year is produced per animal and they can only be shorn once every two years. Vicuña fleeces have been harvested for centuries, but unrestricted hunting almost led to the extinction of the species in the 1960s and 1970s. Legal sheering is allowed today under careful watch to ensure that all captured Vicuñas are returned to the wild.

Vicuñas live in rather interesting social groups. Each group includes a dominant male and several females, who have a daytime feeding territory and a higher elevation nighttime territory. These groups are very close-knit, and juveniles are kicked out to prevent inbreeding and competition. Young males and females form bachelors herds along with other members of their sex. Vicuñas are very skittish animals, and will quickly flee from any hint of danger. Thanks to a large heart, they can run at speeds of 30mph (50kph) at high elevations.

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Llama

Llamas come in many colors! (Image Source)

Llamas (Lama glama) are camelids that were domesticated 4,000-5,000 years ago in the Andes Mountains of South America. They are one of two members of the genus Lama, the other being their wild counterpart, the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Llamas are only found in their domesticated form, and there are over 7 million of them in South America, and about 100,000 in North America. Llames come in a wide variety of colors, and they stand 5-6 feet tall at the head and weigh between 250 and 400lbs.

Llamas were domesticated to serve many functions. They are pack animals, they provide meat, and they have thick wool and hides to be used for clothing and shelter. Llamas were, and still are, used to carry loads over difficult terrain. Their two-toed feet give them remarkable sure-footedness and they can carry 20-30% of their body weight. In recent years Llamas have also be utilized as livestock guardians.

Mother and Cria (Image Source)

Another benefit to pack-Llamas is that they require very little water and can subsist off of a variety of different plant materials. They also have excrement that not only attracts few flies, but can also be burnt for fuel. Llama wool is warm and lightweight, but has no commercial market, and is not as fine at that of Alpaca or Vicuna.

Female llamas have an interesting breeding cycle. They do not go into heat as many other mammals do. Rather, ovulation is induced by the act of mating itself. The gestation period is 350 days, and 1 baby (Cria) is born at a time, typically during the morning.

Llamas are described as being very social, yet independent animals. They are, in most cases, intelligent and easy to train. Llamas do spit! But this behavior is most often a result of a perceived threat, or to establish an order within the herd.

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