Characteristics:  The dromedary camel is well adapted to cope with the extreme climate and harsh terrain of the desert. Its adaptations include hairy ears and heavy eyebrows with long eyelashes that protect the ears and eyes from the sun and blowing sand. Dromedaries in the Sahara can go through the entire winter without taking a drink. This is because the camel loses very little water in its feces and urine. It can tolerate a lot of water loss and does not sweat until its body temperature becomes very high.

Food & Feeding: The dromedary camel ruminates (chews food again after swallowing it). It eats almost any vegetation in the desert, including the thorny twigs and salty plants that other desert dwellers cannot tolerate. Domesticated dromedaries are fed dates, grains, and grasses. When food is scarce, the camels will even eat fish and the flesh of other animals. When food is plentiful, the camel overeats and stores the excess as fat in its hump. The hump then shrinks and may even flop to one side. The camels long legs and large feet make it ideal for traveling across the soft sands of the desert. 

Breeding: The female dromedary comes into heat (becomes ready to mate) several times a year. This gives her a better chance of giving birth during the unpredictable birth during the unpredictable rainy season, when there i plenty of vegetation for her young. The male camel becomes aggressive during mating season. He also performs a noisy breeding display to attract females.

The female stands as she gives birth to a single calf (young). It is both with its eyes open and is covered in a soft, woolly fleece.  Within two to three hours the calf can walk. By the end of its fist day, it moves about quickly and freely. The young suckles for at least a year. It remains dependent on its mother until it is four years old.

Dromedary Camel & Man: The dromedary camel has been important to people in the deserts of western Asia and North Africa. For thousands of years the camel has pulled plows in fields, turned water wheels to irrigate crops, and provided transportation for people and goods.  The camel is also a source for food, clothing , and shelter. Its flesh is edible, and the females provide milk for drinking and making into cheese. The camel's woolly fleece is woven into clothes, blankets, and tents, and its hide is cured to make leather.

Did you know:
Camels are the only mammals that have oval, rather than circular, red blood corpuscles.
Camels often spit when something annoys them.
The dromedary is something's known as the "ship of the desert." This is partly because of its rolling walk, but also because it is the main transportation for crossing the desert.
In very hot weather, a camel that has not drunk any water for a long time can drink up to 50 gallons at the time.

Sizes:
Height: To shoulder, 6 to 7 ft. To hump.
Length: Body, 7 to 11 ft. Tail, up to 2 ft
Weight: 1,000 to 1,5000 lbs

Breeding
Sexual Maturity: 5 years
Breeding season: Varies, timed for birth to coincide with maximum plant growth.
Gestation: 370 to 440 days
No of Young: 1

Lifestyle: 
Habit: Forms groups of up to 30 animals.
Diet: Any available vegetation.
Lifespan: 17 to 50 years

Related Species: There are 2 genera in the family Camelidae, both of which have 2 species. The only other species of camel is the two humped Bactrain, Camelus bactrianus.
Distributed: Thought to have originated on the  Arabian Peninsula. Present domesticated range extends from northern Africa and across central Asia to Mongolia and Australia.
Conservation: The dromedary camel thrives as a domesticated animal and in a semi wild state. It has probably not existed as a wild species for several hundred years.

Features of the Dromedary Camel:
Legs: Long and slender. Prominent pads protect knees as camel kneels.
Feet: Large and fleshy. Each foot has two toes which spread as the camel walks, helping it move easily over desert.
Hair: Fine, woolly hair on hump, throat, neck, and head, provides protection from the sun.
Nose: Nostrils can be closed completely during a sandstorm.

Bactrian Camel has two humps, while the dromedary has only one. The bactrian also has  a longer, thicker coat  all over its body to cope with its cooler habitat.

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