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DROMEDARY CAMEL FACTS |
Description
Thousands of camels were imported into Australia between 1840 and 1907 to open up the arid areas of central and western Australia. They were used for riding, and as draught and pack animals for exploration and construction of rail and telegraph lines; they were also used to supply goods to remote mines and settlements.
The Dromedary Camel is well adapted for life in the desert. They have long hair around ears and eyes, and they can close their nostrils to keep out sand. feet have broad, leathery foot pads to protect them from the hot ground and to help prevent their feet from sinking into the soft sand. The hump is a fat reserve that can produce energy and water when food and water is scarce. Camels can go without water for long periods.
Other Names
One-humped Camel
Habitat
Camels are found in the arid and semi-arid parts of Australia. During winter, camels prefer open plains, salt marshes and lakes, while in summer they prefer dense bush country with trees for shade.
Food
Camels eat shrubs, leaves, grasses, saltbush and cactus.
Breeding
A single calf is born after a gestation period of 13 months. The females give birth to a single calf whilst standing up. Calves are weaned at 18 months to 2 years old.
Range
Dromedary camels are found in the deserts of the Middle East, Africa and Australia. They were introduced to Australia in the There are about 80,000-200,000 wild Dromedary Camels in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, western Queensland and northern South Australia.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Mammalia | | Order: | Artiodactyla | | Family: | Camelidae | | Genus: | Camelus | | Species: | dromedarius | | Common Name: | Dromedary Camel |
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