Exotic Animal Field Guide: Nonnative Hoofed Mammals in the United States

Animal Profiles: Other Animals

OTHER ANIMALS Camel, Arabian (dromedary) Camel, Bactrian Giraffe Giraffe, reticulated Llama Rhinoceros, black Rhinoceros, white (square-lipped rhinoceros) Wild boar Zebra, Chapman’s Zebra, Grant’s Zebra, Grévy’s Arabian camel male. In short summer coat. Photo by Christian Mungall, courtesy of the Houston Zoo, Texas. Arabian camel female. A patch of longer hair is atop the hump even in summer coat. Photo by Elizabeth Cary Mungall, courtesy of the Global Wildlife Center, Louisiana. 235 Name: Arabian camel (dromedary, onehumped camel), Camelus dromedarius, only survives as the domesticated form with many races Origin and Status: Arabia, now widespread in Asia and Africa. Description: One-humped camel. Most caramel colored but can be white through browns to black. Short woolly coat with longer hair on top of head and hump, at throat, and along sides of tail. Coat longer in winter. Hump large with fat store when animal well nourished, which helps insulate against sun. Hump keeps fat out of main body where would interfere with heat loss. Male weight 1,000 to 1,900 lbs. and up to 2,230; female 661 to 1,600 lbs. and up to 2,250. The lighter weights are for riding breeds and general working camels, and the heavier weights are for the huge “baggagers.” Can lose a quarter of its body weight when water restricted during summer heat and still restore condition with a large drink. Food Habits: Almost any desert vegetation , often coarse—leaves and thorns, grasses, small branches. Do better on better forage. Draw on fat stored in hump during shortages. Habitat: Desert and semiarid. Sand. Sometimes gravel. Plants scarce and scattered. Water and Climate: When not very hot (desert winter), can go for months without drinking if food moist. Can consume 35 gallons in 10 minutes after depravation. Working camels do better if watered every day (or every 2 to 3 days). Heat resistant, but need shelter against cold. Temperament and Compatibility: May spit, bite, or kick. Males in mating condition are dangerously aggressive. Close proximity initially may scare other animals. Will cross with two-humped camel. Male hybrids sterile but females usually fertile. First-generation hybrids large, strong, and nearly as much wool as domestic two-humped camel but single hump (can have dent in top) that is longer and lower than in one-humped species . Second-generation hybrids weak. Special Considerations: Secret to heat hardihood is letting body temperature vary by about 10o F. Both male and female have pair of glands at back of head that enlarge during mating time (odorous secretion)—more so in males. Rutting male makes gurgling roar while inflating soft palate so that a membranous sac (“goulla”) sticks out of his mouth. Fighting camels bite, shove, and try to force each other down. Mate lying down. May be induced ovulators. Estrous cycle 13 to 40 days with heat for 3 to 4 days. May reproduce up to 20 to 30 years old. Diurnal. Breeding Season: January to March. Often winter if is a wet season. Less regular in captivity. Birth Season: Often between February and May. Less regular in captivity. Gestation and Young Per Birth: 12 to 13 mo.; 1 young. Sexual Maturity: Male 6 to 8 yr. for full sexual activity; female 3 yr. Fencing: 6 to 7 ft. ordinarily adequate. Arabian Camel Bactrian camel male. In short summer coat. Photo by Elizabeth Cary Mungall, courtesy of the Global Wildlife Center, Louisiana. Bactrian camel female. Note longer, dark hair over top of humps in summer coat. Photo by Elizabeth Cary Mungall, courtesy of the Global Wildlife Center, Louisiana. 237 Name: Bactrian camel (two-humped camel), Camelus ferus (wild), Camelus bactrianus (domestic, no distinctive breeds) Origin and Status: Central Asia; endangered (USFWS), critically endangered (IUCN). Description: Two-humped camel. Wild form grayish tan with sparse, woolly coat, and small tuft on top of head. Slender build with small humps. Domestic form brown to dark brown with long wool (especially in winter) and ample tuft on top of head. Heavy build with large humps. Humps enlarge with stored fat when animal well nourished , which helps insulate against sun. Humps keep fat out of main body cavity were it would interfere with heat loss. Male weight up to 1,433 lbs. (domestic 1,175 to 2,205); female 992 lbs. and up (1,323 to 1,580 domestic). Food Habits: Almost any desert vegetation , often coarse—leaves (favor poplar ), grasses, shrubs...