The recent ANZAC parade through Ipswich featured a very special animal…man’s other best friend, the camel.
Some points about these amazing creatures…..
One of the camel’s most notable physical traits is its hump or humps. While the dromedary camel has one hump, the Bactrian camel has two humps.
The myth is / was that water was in these humps was full of life-giving water….. In truth, they store fat in these humps, which later can be used as an energy source.They store fat in these humps, which can be tapped into as an energy source.
They have other features that allow them to survive in the desert, such as double rows of extra-long eyelashes to help keep sand out of the eyes. They are also able to close their nostrils to keep out sand.
Camels are herbivores, eating grass, grains, wheat and oats. They will spend their days searching for food and grazing. However, food can be tough to come by in their harsh desert environment. They have tough but flexible lips that enable them to break off and eat vegetation, such as thorns or salty plants that other mammals may avoid. Like cows, camels are ruminants, meaning they regurgitate the food back up from their stomach to chew it again. A camel can survive for over a week without water and can survive for several months without food. Camels store fat in their humps, which can be used for energy when food and water are scarce. The length of time that a camel can survive on this stored fat depends on the climate and the animal’s activity level. The hump changes size depending on the amount of food that the animal eats. The camel’s hump may lean over or droop when food is scarce. The hump is not used for water storage, but camels can go for long periods of time without water. They drink large amounts of water – up to 20 gallons at a time. This water is said to be stored in the animal’s bloodstream.
Its blood cells are also tiny enough to keep circulating as the camel’s blood thickens from dehydration – but elastic enough to hold lots of water. If a thirsty camel finds an oasis, its red blood cells might balloon to more than twice their size – while its hump remains unchanged.
Interestingly, the Camel family (Camelidae) first evolved in North America – not the Middle East or Africa – approximately 44 million years ago during the Eocene period. Camelops first appeared in the fossil record during the Late Pliocene of North America between 4 to 3 million years ago. Camels were first introduced into Australia from the Canary Islands in 1840.
The dromedary camel with its one hump, is also known as the Arabian camel; the Bactrian camel has two humps, and is used to the steppes (high plains) of central Asia.
There are now over one million feral camels in Australia and that population may double in size every nine years. Feral camels are found across Central Australia and in the Victoria River District regions. Important food plants used by Aboriginal (First Nations) people are also seriously affected by camel grazing. Feral camels have an impact on fragile salt lake ecosystems and foul waterholes, which are important sites for Aboriginal people and for native plants. They also contribute to erosion by destabilising dune crests. Feral camels are found in over 37% of mainland Australia. In the Northern Territory feral camels are found in over 40% of the land area.
According to the Northern Territory Government: Management of feral camels is not consistent and has little impact on populations overall. Management falls into three categories: fencing off key areas to keep out feral camels; live harvest of feral camels for commercial sale; ground and aerial culling – in the Northern Territory aerial shooting is done by Parks and Wildlife contractors with the cost of helicopter hire and ammunition being paid by the land manager. Although aerial shooting of large animals like horses and camels is an emotive issue, it is the most effective and humane way to cull large feral herbivores in remote areas that are hard to access.
Feral camels move over large areas so buffer zones are needed in arid regions to protect environmentally sensitive areas.
Sources: Wikipedia
