2. The Desert Camel

3. 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

4. Types of Camels There are two types of camels in the world.
Arabian or dromedary – 1 hump
Asian Bactrian – 2 humps

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. C A R V N C A M E L

9. 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.

10. Bactrian Camel

11. 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.

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

13. 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.

14. Alternative Transportation

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