A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus

Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits, known as humps, on its back. There are two species
of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has two
humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia, and Bactrian camels are
native to Central and East Asia. Both species are domesticated; they provide milk and meat, and
are beasts of burden.

The term camel, (from the Arabic derived from the triconsonantal root signifying "beauty"), is
also used more broadly to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae:
the two true camels, and the four South American camelids: the llama, alpaca, guanaco, and
vicuña.

The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. A fully grown adult camel stands
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) at the shoulder and 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) at the hump. The hump rises about 30 in
(76.20 cm) out of its body. Camels can run at up to 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and sustain
speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph).

Fossil evidence indicates that the ancestors of modern camels evolved in North America during
the Palaeogene period (see also Camelops), and later spread to most parts of Asia. The people of
ancient Somalia or the Kingdom of Punt first domesticated camels well before 2000 BC.

The almost 14 million dromedaries alive today are domesticated animals (mostly living in
Somalia, the Sahel, Maghreb, Middle East and Indian subcontinent). An estimated quarter of the
world's camel population is found in Somalia and in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, where the
camel is an important part of nomadic Somali life. They provide the Somali people with milk,
food and transportation.

Commercial camel market headcount in 2003

The Bactrian camel is now reduced to an estimated 1.4 million animals, mostly domesticated. It
is thought that there are about 1000 wild Bactrian camels in the Gobi Desert in China and
Mongolia.

There is a substantial feral population of dromedaries estimated at up to 1,000,000 in central

A small population of introduced camels, dromedaries and Bactrians survived in the Southwest
United States until the second half of the 20th Century. These animals, imported from Turkey,
were part of the U.S. Camel Corps experiment and used as draft animals in mines and escaped or
were released after the project was terminated. A descendant of one of these was seen by a
backpacker in Los Padres National Forest in 1972. Twenty-three Bactrian camels were brought
to Canada during thCariboo Gold Rushedit

Camels do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed. The humps are actually a
reservoir of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping
insulation throughout the rest of their body, which may be an adaptation to living in hot climates.
When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy, and yields more than 1 g of water
for each 1 g of fat converted through reaction with oxygen from air. This process of fat
metabolization generates a net loss of water through respiration for the oxygen required to
convert the fat.

A camel's thick coat is one of their many adaptations that aid them in desert-like conditions.

Their ability to withstand long periods without water is due to a series of physiological
adaptations. Their red blood cells have an oval shape, unlike those of other mammals, which are
circular. This facilitates their flow in a dehydrated state. These cells are also more stable in order
to withstand high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water
(100 litres (22 imp gal; 26 US gal) to 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal) in one drink). Oval red
corpuscles are not found in any other mammal, but are present in reptiles, birds, and fish.[

Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water content that would kill most
other animals. Their temperature ranges from 34 °C (93 °F) at night and up to 41 °C (106 °F)
during the day, and only above this threshold will they begin to sweat. The upper body
temperature range is often not reached during the day in milder climatic conditions, and
therefore, the camel may not sweat at all during the day. Evaporation of their sweat takes place at
the skin level, not at the surface of their coat, thereby being very efficient at cooling the body
compared to the amount of water lost through perspiration.

Camels are used as draft animals in Pakistan

Domesticated camels at the Pyramids of Giza

A feature of their nostrils is that a large amount of water vapor in their exhalations is trapped and
returned to their body fluids, thereby reducing the amount of water lost through respiration.[citation
needed]
They can withstand at least 20-25% weight loss due to sweating (most mammals can only
withstand about 15% dehydration before cardiac failure results from circulatory disturbance).
[citation needed]
A camel's blood remains hydrated, even though the body fluids are lost, until this 25%
limit is reached.[citation needed]

Camels eating green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their
bodies' hydrated state without the need for drinking.[11]

A camel's thick coat reflects sunlight, and also insulates it from the intense heat radiated from
desert sand. A shorn camel has to sweat 50% more to avoid overheating. Their long legs help by
keeping them further from the hot ground. Camels have been known to swim.[12]

Their mouth is very sturdy, able to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs,
together with sealable nostrils, form a barrier against sand. Their gait and their widened feet help
them move without sinking into the sand.[citation needed]

The kidneys and intestines of a camel are very efficient at retaining water. Urine comes out as a
thick syrup, and their feces are so dry that they can fuel fires.[13]

All camelids have an unusual immune system. In all mammals, the Y-shaped antibody molecules
consist of two heavy (or long) chains along the length of the Y, and two light (or short) chains at
each tip of the Y. Camels also have antibody molecules that have only two heavy chains, which
makes them smaller and more durable. These heavy chain-only antibodies, which were
discovered in 1993, probably developed 50 million years ago, after camelids split from
ruminants and pigs, according to biochemist Serge Muyldermans.[14]

The camel is the only animal to have replaced the wheel (mainly in North Africa) where the
wheel had already been established. The camel did not lose that distinction until the wheel was

combined with the internal combustion engine in the 20th century.[15]

British Imperial Camel Corps Brigade in Egypt

Since at least 1200 BC, the first camel saddles appeared, and Bactrian camels could be ridden.
The first Arabian saddle was put way to the back of the camel, and control of the Bactrian camel
happened by means of a stick. However it wasn't until between 500-100 BC that Bactrian camels
finally attained a military use. These new saddles were put over the humps of the animal, and
they were also inflexible and bent, dividing the weight sufficiently over the animal. In the
seventh century D.C., the military Arabian saddle then appeared, which improved the saddle
design again slightly.

Camel cavalry have been used in wars throughout Africa, the Middle East and into modern-day
India. Armies have also used camels as freight animals instead of horses and mules.

In the East Roman Empire the Romans used auxiliary forces known as Dromedarii, whom they
recruited in desert provinces. The camels were mostly used in combat because of their ability to
scare off horses in close ranges, a quality famously employed by the Achaemenid Persians when
fighting Lydia, although the Persians usually used camels as baggage trains for arrows and
equipment.

 The United States Army established the U.S. Camel Corps, which was stationed in
California in the 19th century. One may still see brick stables at the Benicia Arsenal in
Benicia, California, where they serve as artists' and artisans' studio spaces. During the
American Civil War, camels were used at an experimental stage, but were not used any
further, as they were unpopular with the men.
 France created a méhariste camel corps as part of the Armée d'Afrique in the Sahara from
1902, replacing regular units of Algerian spahis and tirailleurs earlier used to patrol the
desert boundaries. The camel-mounted units remained in service until the end of French
rule in 1962. The French transferred the French personnel to other units and disbanded
the locally recruited méharistes.
 In 1916, during World War I, the British created the Imperial Camel Corps, which was a
brigade-sized military formation that fought in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. It
comprised infantry mounted on camels for movement across desert. In May 1918 the
Corps was reduced in strength to a single battalion and was formally disbanded in May
1919. Also during World War I, the British Army created the Egyptian Camel Transport
Corps, which consisted of a group of Egyptian camel drivers and their camels. The Corps
supported British war operations in the Sinai desert, Palestine and Syria by transporting
supplies to the troops.
 The Somaliland Camel Corps was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland
from the early 20th century until the 1960s.
 The Bikaner Camel Corps was a military unit from India that fought for the allies in
World War I and World War II.
 The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment of Sahrawi tribesmen
serving in the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today Western Sahara). Operational from
the 1930s until the end of the Spanish presence in the territory in 1975, the Tropas
Nómadas were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish officers. The unit guarded
outposts and sometimes conducted patrols on camelback.

Camels have been subject to selective breeding and hybridization to make them more useful to
man. Crosses between the bactrian and dromedary camels exist, as does a cross between the
Camel and Llama known as a cama.
Camel calf feeding on her mother's milk

Camel milk is a staple food of desert nomad tribes and is richer in fat and protein than cow milk.
It is said[by whom?] to have many healthful properties. It is used as a medicinal product in India[citation
needed]
and as an aphrodisiac in Ethiopia. Bedouins believe that the curative powers of camel milk
are enhanced if the camel's diet consists of certain plants. Camel milk can readily be made into
yogurt, but can only be made into butter or cheese with difficulty. Butter or yogurt made from
camel milk is said to have a very faint greenish tinge.

Camel milk cannot be made into butter by the traditional churning method. It can be made if it is
soured first, churned, and a clarifying agent added, or if it is churned at 24–25 °C (75–77 °F), but
times vary greatly in achieving results. Until recently, camel milk could not be made into cheese
because rennet was unable to coagulate the milk proteins to allow the collection of curds. Under
the commission of the FAO, Professor J.P. Ramet of the École Nationale Supérieure
d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires (ENSAIA) was able to produce curdling by the
addition of calcium phosphate and vegetable rennet.[17] The cheese produced from this process
has low levels of cholesterol and lactose. The sale of camel cheese is limited owing to the low
yield of cheese from milk and the uncertainty of pasteurization levels for camel milk, which
makes adherence to dairy import regulations difficult.

Domesticated camel calves in Dubai

A camel carcass can provide a substantial amount of meat. The male dromedary carcass can
weigh 400 kg (900 lb) or more, while the carcass of a male Bactrian can weigh up to 650 kg
(1,400 lb). The carcass of a female camel (or she-camel) weighs less than the male, ranging
between 250 and 350 kg (550 and 770 lb). The brisket, ribs and loin are among the preferred
parts, but the hump is considered a delicacy and is most favored.[citation needed] It is reported that
camel meat tastes like coarse beef, but older camels can prove to be very tough and less
flavorful. The meat from older camels is best prepared by slow cooking. Camel meat is low in
fat, and can thus taste dry. The Abu Dhabi Officers' Club serves a camel burger, as this allows
the meat to be mixed with beef or lamb fat, improving both the texture and taste. In Karachi,
Pakistan the exclusive Nihari restaurants prepare this dish from camel meat, while the general
restaurants prepare it with either beef or water buffalo meat.

Camel meat has been eaten for centuries. It has been recorded by ancient Greek writers as an
available dish in ancient Persia at banquets, usually roasted whole. The ancient Roman emperor
Heliogabalus enjoyed camel's heel. Camel meat is still eaten in certain regions including
Somalia, where it is called Hilib geel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Kazakhstan and other
arid regions where alternative forms of protein may be limited or where camel meat has had a
long cultural history. In the Middle East, camel meat is the rarest and most prized source of
pastırma.[citation needed] Not just the meat, but also blood is a consumable item as is the case in
northern Kenya, where camel blood is a source of iron, vitamin D, salts and minerals. Camel
meat is also occasionally found in Australian cuisine, for example, a camel lasagne is available
in Alice Springs.