Camel

Sha refers to camel. Because camels travel through the desert. Sand refers to tiny stone particles, or something shaped like sand. Camels are known as the "Ship of the Desert" mammals. The head is small, the neck is thick and long, curved like a goose neck. The body is tall and the body hair is brown. Very able to endure hunger and thirst. Camels can survive without water for 2 weeks and without food for up to a month.

At the end of the Eocene Epoch (about 50-35 million years ago). North America has a warm and humid climate with dense and succulent shrubs. At that time, there was a kind of primitive soft-dactyl animal, which was as small as a rabbit and had 44 teeth. Its body shape was very close to that of primitive mammals. Its forelimbs were slightly shorter than its hind limbs. It had four toes on its front feet, but the two side toes had become significantly smaller. This is the ancestor of the camel.

Camels can live on the roughest parts of sparse vegetation. They can eat thorny plants, shrubs, leaves and hay that other animals do not eat, but if there is better food, they are also happy to eat it. .For example: The wealthy United Arab Emirates requires that camel feed must contain: barley, oats, wheat, soybeans, peas, soybean oil, vegetables. Camels like to eat leaves, hay and salt. Because it often travels long distances, hay is digested more slowly. Camels like to eat plants with thorns, hairs, strong smells, and salt-alkali that other domestic animals are unwilling to eat. White thorns and wormwood are camel's delicacies.

Bactrian camel

The Bactrian camel is native to Turkestan, China and Mongolia in central Asia. It has been domesticated since at least 800 BC. But there are still wild camels in the wild. It is said that they live between Tarim and Qaidam Basin in China, and as far east as Mongolia. They often live in arid areas and migrate with seasonal changes.

The hump of the wild Bactrian camel is smaller and pointed than that of the domestic camel, its body is slender than that of the domestic camel, its feet are smaller than that of the domestic camel, and its hair is shorter. Wild Bactrian camels are rare in number and can be found alone, in pairs or in small groups of 4 to 6. Large groups of 12 to 15 are rare. Bactrian camels are very capable of hunger and thirst. They can go without drinking water for more than ten days or even longer. When they are extremely short of water, they can decompose the fat in their humps to produce water and heat. Drinking up to 57 liters of water at a time can restore the normal water content in the body. They feed on various desert plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Populus euphratica, and Zaguai dates, and eat almost any plant growing in desert and semi-arid areas (including halophytes).

Bactrian camels are relatively docile, easy to ride, and suitable for carrying loads: they can carry 170 to 270 kilograms of stuff in four days and cover about 47 kilometers a day. Their top speed is about 16 kilometers per hour. . Male camels mostly move alone. During the breeding period, they fight fiercely for females. One male and multiple females move in groups, which can form large groups of 30/40 animals. One baby is born every 2 years, and the gestation period is 13 months. It is a world-class rare animal. The breeding period is 4 to 5 months, and the gestation period is 12 to 14 months. Female camels give birth to one, rarely two, cubs. They become sexually mature at 4 to 5 years old and have a lifespan of 35 to 40 years.

Bactrian camels have two layers of fur: a warm inner layer of downy fur, and a rough, long-haired outer layer. The two layers of fur will mix and fall off in clumps, which can be collected and separated for processing. Bactrian camels can produce about 7 kilograms of wool fiber per year, and its structure is similar to cashmere. The down of the Bactrian camel is usually 2 to 8 centimeters long and can be used for spinning or knitting.

Dromedary

Dromedary camels were domesticated thousands of years ago in central or southern Arabia. It is currently known that about 13 million dromedary camels have been domesticated around the world, mostly from West Indies to Pakistan, and then from Iran to North Africa. There are no untamed people in their original distribution areas, but some dromedary camels were later introduced to Australia, and some were introduced to the United States. Therefore, only dromedary camels in Australia and the United States are wild.

Male dromedary camels have a soft upper jaw that allows them to give birth to a pink pouch. During the mating season, this bag is hung on either side of the male dromedary's mouth to attract mates. Dromedaries have thick eyelashes and small, hairy ears.

The gestation period of a dromedary is about 12 months. Usually they only give birth to one calf at a time, and the adult camels will take care of the calves themselves until the calves are 18 months old. Female dromedary camels become sexually mature after 3 to 4 years old, while male dromedary camels do not reach sexual maturity until 5 to 6 years old. Their lifespan is generally 25 years, but can last up to 50 years. An adult dromedary can be up to 10 feet long, with a height of 6 to 7 feet. They generally weigh 1,000 to 1,500 pounds. Domesticated dromedary camels can provide humans with milk and meat, and can also be used to carry goods or passengers.

In Egypt, many police officers patrol around on camels. Dromedary camels are taller than Bactrian camels and can run faster. If someone is driving them, they can maintain a speed of 13 to 14 kilometers per hour.