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Camel milk is a staple food of desert nomad tribes and is sometimes considered a meal itself; a nomad can live on only camel milk for almost a month. [19] [39] [123] [124] Camel milk can readily be made into yogurt, but can only be made into butter if it is soured first, churned, and a clarifying agent is then added. [19]
Dromedary camels, bactrian camels, llamas, and alpacas are all induced ovulators. [8] The three Afro-Asian camel species have developed extensive adaptations to their lives in harsh, near-waterless environments. Wild populations of the Bactrian camel are even able to drink brackish water, and some herds live in nuclear test areas. [9]
The common name "dromedary" comes from the Old French dromedaire or the Late Latin dromedarius.These originated from the Greek word dromas, δρομάς (ο, η) (GEN (γενική) dromados, δρομάδος), meaning "running" or "runner", [5] [6] used in Greek in the combination δρομάς κάμηλος (dromas kamelos), literally "running camel", to refer to the dromedary.
The Bactrian camel shares the genus Camelus with the dromedary (C. dromedarius) and the wild Bactrian camel (C. ferus).The Bactrian camel belongs to the family Camelidae. [1] [5] The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first European to describe the camels: in his 4th century BCE History of Animals, he identified the one-humped Arabian camel and the two-humped Bactrian camel.
The Kharai camel has been officially recognized as a distinct breed by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) located at Karnal, Haryana, due to its unique habitat and dietary preferences. This recognition elevates the Kharai camel to the status of India's ninth recognized camel breed.
Since camels live in hot environments, they don't want all that fat insulating and overheating their organs, so it's stored in natural "backpacks" instead. Image credits: Alex Daniel
Camels face various threats including poaching, climate change, being hunted, and human encroachment into their habitat. In the Gobi Reserve Area, 25 to 30 camels are reported to be poached every year, and about 20 in the Lop Nur Reserve. Hunters kill the camels by laying land mines in the salt water springs where the camels drink. [25]
Like all camels, Guanacos are herbivores, grazing on grasses, shrubs, herbs, lichens, fungi, cacti, and flowers. [11] The food is swallowed with little chewing and first enters the forestomach to be digested finally after rumination. This process is similar to that of ruminants, to which camels are not zoologically related.