The Desert Camel

Ata Allah

• The people of the desert call the camel Ata Allah, “God’s Gift.”

• The camel provides the desert nomad with:

Transportation Shade Milk meat Fur hides

Types of CamelsThere are two types of camels in the world.

1.Arabian or dromedary – 1 hump

2.Asian Bactrian – 2 humps

Camel History• Camels are often

referred to as “ships of the desert” because they carry freight and people across long distances.

• They originated in the Americas about 40,000,000 years ago.

• Camels had been domesticated in Arabia by 1800 B.C.

• North American camels became extinct about 15,000 years ago.

Camel Importance

• They are used to carry freight.• Their meat and milk are consumed by desert

people.• Their hair is used to make rugs, ropes,

garments, and tents.• Their hide is tanned into leather.• The dried dung is used as fuel.• Mounted camel units have been used over the

centuries by military and police forces.

Dromedary

Facts:•Height: to shoulder:6-7ft. •hump: 6-8 ft•Length: body: 7-11 ft •tail: up to 2 ft•Weight: 1,000-1500lb•Lifestyle: forms groups of up to 30 animals•Diet: vegetation•Lifespan: 17-50 years•Humps: 1•They have adapted to live in hot climates.

CARAVAN

CAMEL

Desert Adaptation• Its nose can hold

moisture from the air it breathes.

• Its hump stores up to 80 lb. of fat that it can break down and use for energy.

• They can travel for 12 hours or 100 miles without a drink carrying up to 900 lb.

• The usual load is 300 lb.• Camels rarely sweat.• They can stretch their

neck to graze on vegetation up to 11 feet off of the ground.

Bactrian Camel

History• The only species of

camel that is wild.• There are fewer than

1000 still in the wild.• They are an endangered

species.• It was domesticated as

early as 2000 BC.• They were used to carry

goods and supplies across the plains of Central Asia.

• They are the original silk route camels.

• They live in the Gobi Desert.

Bactrian Facts

•They are adapted to live in cold climates.•Height: to shoulder: 6 ft•Height to Hump: up to 7 ft.•Length: 11-12 ft, including tail (21 -25 in. long)•Weight: 1,000-1500 lb.•Diet: grasses and shrubs•Lifespan: 50 years.•Humps: 2 •Legs are very short for walking on hilly rocky ground.

Additional Information• They can carry a load of up to 450 lb.

• They can travel 20 to 25 miles a day on high, dry plateaus, climbing among mountaintops more than 10,000 feet in altitude.

• They can run for several hours without stopping in the summer.

• The are an important source of wool, meat, and transportation.

• They can tolerate great variations in body temperature: from 86 degrees to 105 degrees

Fahrenheit.

• They can walk on slippery ground that dromedary camels cannot handle.

Alternative Transportation

Review

• 1. What are the two types of camel?• 2. Which camel has one hump?• 3. Which camel has two humps?