I love camel

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The camel is either of two large, long-legged, cud-chewing mammals widely used in desert regions as draft or riding animals. Camels are considered stubborn and irritable, but because of their strength and ability to cross burning deserts and to go for days without water, they were long the most important beasts of burden and saddle animals in their native lands. Their great value to the Arabs is indicated by the fact that the Arabic language is said to contain nearly 1,000 words that mean camel. Nowadays, much of their transportation duties have been taken over by motor vehicles, but camels are still important sources of meat, milk, hair, and leather.

Camels, together with their relatives the llama, alpaca, vicuna, and guanaco, are the only living members of a large group of animals that were once native to all continents except Australia. Now only two species of camel remain: the Arabian camel, which is bred in northern Africa and Arabia, and the bactrian camel, which is bred in central Asia.

The Arabian camel has a single rounded hump on its back. The bactrian camel may have either one or two conical humps on its back. Arabian camels specially bred for racing are called dromedaries. Arabian and bactrian camels are sometimes crossbred to produce single-humped offspring that are larger and sturdier than either parent. The wild camels that roam Central Asia today are believed to be descendants of domesticated bactrian camels that have run wild.

More about camels on this website: I Love Camels