Bactrian Camel
The most feature of C. bactrianus is its two humps. At the hump, its average height is 213 cm (7 feet). A thick, shaggy, dark brown to beige coat covers the camel during cold weather and is shed when the temperature rises. Longer hair hangs from the neck and gives the appearance of a beard. Bushy eyebrows, a double row of eyelashes, ears lined with hair and the ability to close nostrils and lips tightly serve as protection from harsh conditions. Their tough, even-toed feet help them to cross the rocky desert in Asia and travel well through snow or sand.
up to 36 kg of fat. The hump decreases in size and become flabby as its contents are metabolized. Depletion of the hump is directly linked to the time between eating and the amount of energy expended. Thus, the size of the hump serves as an indication of C. bactrian's health, food supply and general well-being. The stomach is the camel's water storage space. In it, water is retained in several sac-shaped containers. Approximately one and a half gallons of water can be held in the stomach.
it reaches sexual maturity.
The camel's habitat consists mainly of Asia's deserts. The temperature ranges from -29 degrees Celsius in the winter to 38 degrees Celsius in the summer.
Camels were thought to be extinct in the wild until an expedition found some wild C. bactrianus in the Gobi desert in 1957. These wild groups are in the severedanger of going extinct and little is known about them. The estimated number of wild camels ranges from 500 to 1000.
Dromedary, or Arabian Camel
300 to 690 kg.
The dromedary camel is characterized by a long-curved neck, deep-narrow chest, and a single hump. The hump is composed of fat bound together by fibrous tissue, acting as food storage in times of need. The size of the hump varies with the nutritional status of the camel, becoming smaller to non-existent during times of starvation. The lips of the dromedary camel are thickened to allow consumption of course, thorny plants. Dromedaries are typically caramel brown or sandy brown in color, however, shades can range from almost black to nearly white. Hair length is longer on the throat, shoulder, and hump areas. The feet of dromedaries are pad-shaped and adapted for traveling on sand. They can be easily injured on sharp stones and are unsuitable for slippery or muddy conditions. Male dromedaries, in comparison to females, are about 10% heavier, weighing 400-600 kg, and are about 10 cm taller at shoulder height, measuring 1.8-2.0 m. Additionally, male dromedaries have an inflatable soft palate which is used to attract females. Dromedary camels have a total of 34 teeth, with a dental formula of 1/3; 1/1; 3/2; 3/3.
The dromedary camel is a herbivore. The camel eats primarily thorny plants, dry grasses and saltbush; however, it will eat most anything that grows in the desert (Oakland Zoo 1993). Dromedaries primarily browse, with shrubs and forbs composing up to 70% of their diet. About 8-12 hours/day is spent grazing with equal amounts spent ruminating (Kohler-Rollefson 1991). When foraging, camels tend to spread over large areas and select only a few leaves from each plant. This type of feeding behavior reduces the stress on the plant communities and eases competition with other arid region herbivores (Busch Gardens 1996). Additionally, dromedaries need 6 to 8 times as much salt as other animals for adsorption and storage of water. Consequently, 1/3 of their food intake must be halophytes. Dromedaries browse up to a height of 3.5 m, breaking off branches or stripping off the leaves in one movement. While browsing, they use their lips to grasp the food, then chew each bite 40-50 times. The mouth is kept open while chewing thorny food (Kohler-Rollefson 1991)
The dromedary camel has a lifespan of about 40-50 years (Busch Gardens 1996). Females reach sexual maturity around age 3 and mate around age 4 or 5. Males begin to rut by age 3, but do not reach full sexual maturity until age 6. Typically, males and females are seasonal breeders. Breeding occurs in winter and overlaps with the rainy season; both vary in respect to the camel's geographic range. The onset of the breeding season is believed to be cued by nutritional status of the camel and the daylength. During competition for females, the males threaten each other by making low noises with the fleshy fold of their mouths, stand as tall as possible, and repeat a series of head movements including lowering, lifting, and bending their necks backwards. Upon confrontation, fighting males attempt to bring their opponent to the ground by biting at his legs and taking the opponent's head in between his jaws. Copulation time ranges from 7-35 minutes, averaging 11-15 minutes. The gestation period typically lasts for a period of 15 months, followed by the birth of a single calf. The calf can move freely by the end of the first day. Maternal care generally lasts for 1 to 2 years. Calves typically experience a growth rate of .19-.31 kg/day for the first year. (Gauthier-Pilthers and Dagg 1981, Kohler-Rollefson 1991)
With the exception of rutting males, dromedaries show very little aggressive behavior. Confrontations among dromedaries include pushing each other with their whole body or lowered head and neck; snapping at each other without biting; and occasionally vomiting cud when they are hurt or excited. Dromedaries usually form groups of 2-20 individuals. The basic social unit is the family, consisting of one male, and one to several females, subadults, and young. The male within the family unit prevents contact between female camels within the family and stray males by either standing or walking in between them, or by driving the stray males away. The male is the dominant member of the family group and directs the family from the rear while the females take turns leading. Dromedaries tend to travel by walking single file. Dromedary camels find comfort in scratching parts of their body with their front or hind legs, or with their lower incisors. They are also often observed rubbing against trees. Additionally, they seem to like to roll in sand (Gauthier-Pilthers and Dagg 1981, Kohler-Rollefson 1991).
The camels prefer desert conditions characterized by a long dry season and a short rainy season. Introduction of the dromedary into other climates has proven unsuccessful as the camel is sensitive to the cold and humidity (Nowak 1991).
Since the dromedary camel is domesticated, the camel has no special status in conservation (Busch Gardens 1996).
Llama
130 to 155 kg.
Llamas feet are slender and their limbs are long. They have long, dense fine wool on their bodies. The hair on their head, neck, and limbs is shorter than on their torso. Llamas have remarkable variety in their body sizes and shapes. The larger animals are more prevelant because of their use as "beasts of burden." Body length ranges from 153-200 cm, shoulder height from 100-125 cm, and tail length from 22-25 cm. The coloring of their fur is also variable, ranging from all white, to brown, yellow, blue and black, and sometimes with checks and spots.
Llamas are herbivorous, feeding on many kinds of grasses and leaves.
Llamas reach sexual maturity at about 12-24 months. Females give birth every other year. Mating occurs in August and September. The gestation period is 348-368 days. Llamas produce one offspring at a time (rarely two). The weight at birth is 8-16 kg. Weaning occurs at 5-8 months.
The Lama glama lives only in domestication. They are mostly kept grazing freely on grasslands and scrublands at elevations between 7,400-12,800 ft. (2,300-4,000 m). Llamas are very graceful in their movements. They run with a swinging stride, with their front and hind legs moving in unison on each side. Llamas lie down to rest and sleep. They are adept at spitting regurgitated food. Llamas use certain excretion sites that form dung heaps up to 2.4 meters in diameter. Fighting between males involves leg biting and "neck dominance." Copulation occurs while animals are in a prone position.
Llamas are found in deserts, mountainous areas, and grasslands.
The population of llamas has declined since road building reduced their importance in transportation.
Guanaco
115 to 140 kg.
They stand at 1,100 to 1,200mm at the shoulder and have slender bodies with long limbs and neck. The head is typical of camelids with long, pointed ears and cleft, highly mobile lips. Their fur can be long, thick and wooly, especially along the flanks, chest and thighs. It is reddish-brown dorsally, and the underparts are white.
Guanacos are herbivores that can inhabit dry areas and forego drinking for long periods. They are versatile foragers, both browsing and grazing on grasses and plants.
Females are apparently induced ovulators, and especially in the southern end of the range breeding reaches a peak in February. Young are born in December to February after an eleven month gestation period. They weigh 8-15kg at birth and nurse for eleven to fifteen months. Usually females do not breed until there third year.
There are three types of social groups: family groups, male troops, and solitary males. A family band is composed of a single breeding male, several females, and offspring. Males limit the size of their group by driving out young males of six to twelve months and driving off males and sometimes females trying to enter the group. Males defend a territory that the group resides on, and the territory is demarcated by large communal defecation piles. Only about 18% of males are in a family group; the others are in bands or solitary. The all-male bands are generally made up of young males. Males in these herds learn fighting ability through play fights. The solitary males tend to be mature males looking for females or herds to take over.
Guanacos inhabit grasslands and shrublands from sea level to 4,000m. Occasionally they winter in forests.
Guanacos have had their numbers drastically reduced due to human pressures of habitat encroachment, habitat destruction, and hunting. In addition, climatic changes are also blamed for decreases in population size and range.
Vicuna
35 to 65 kg.
The vicuna is the smallest living species among the family Camelidae. Head and body length is 1,250-1,900 mm, tail length is 150-250mm, and shoulder height is 700-1,100mm. A slender body and relatively long neck and limbs give a vicuna an elegant appearance. The ears are long, pointed, and narrow. The head is round and yellowish to red-brown in color. The long neck has yellowish red bib. The underside and inner parts of the flanks are dirty white. A strange mane, 20-30cm long, with silky-white hair adorns the chest. Overall, the pelage is uniform and soft. Compared to the similar-looking Lama guanicoe, the vicuna is one fourth the size, its body is paler, and it lacks callosities on the inner sides of the forelimbs. Relative weight of the brain is greater than that of the guanaco. Among living artiodactyls, vicunas have unique, rodent-like incisors that are covered with enamel on only one side. Features believed to be adaptations to high altitudes include a large heart, specialized blood cells with hemoglobin of greater affinty for oxygen, and a weight that is 50 percent heavier than other mammals of the same size. Vision and hearing is good, although the former is far more developed. Olfaction is fairly poor. Nowak (1991), Grizmek (1990).
The vicuna is strictly a grazer. Its diet consist of mostly short perennial grasses. The incisors are specially adapted to its diet. They are large and continuously growing as in rodents. The young often graze while lying down. Both young and adults chew cud when they are at rest. Unlike most other camelids, the vicuna requires daily intake of water. Therefore, when selecting a territory, it searches an area with favorable watering sites. The average feeding range is 184ha. Nowak (1991), Grizmek (1990), MacDonald (1984).
Mating begins in March and April. They mate while lying down on their chests, and copulation lasts 10-20 minutes. After 330-350 days of gestation period, a female gives birth to a single offspring of 4-6 kg in February and March. The female gives birth in a standing position, and it neither licks nor eats the afterbirth. The mother mates soon after giving birth. The young is mobile after just 15 minutes at birth. It remains close aside its mother for at least 8 months. It continues to suckle until it reaches 10 months. Young females at this stage are expelled from the herd by the dominant male. For young males, this happens at 4-9 months. Expelled females are usually accepted into another group. Females are capable of mating when they reach 2 years. Some are still reproductively active at 19 years. Vicunas in the wild live up to 15-20 years. In captivity, an individual was reported to have lived 24 years. MacDonald (1984), Nowak (1991), Grizmek (1990).
Vicunas are alert and shy animals that flee very rapidly. They are capable of running 47 km/hr at an elevation of 4,500 meters. Movement is extremely graceful compared to any other hoofed animal. When in danger, vicunas make a clear, whistling sound. The dominant male warns its herd with an alarm call, and positions itself between the threat and the members. A single dominant male leads a group of females and juveniles. It determines the range of the territory and group membership, and it drives other males away from the family. The territorial male keeps its members closely together at a distance of no more than 160ft. Group members display submission to the male by laying their neck over the back. Family groups are closed societies, excluding alien males and, at times, preventing even young females from joining. The average size of a family is 6-10 individuals depending on the feeding condition in the territory. Vicunas are one of the few ungulates to possess a feeding territory and a separate sleeping territory. They are diurnal, and at night they retreat to their sleeping areas at higher altitudes. Adult males that do not lead any herd become either solitary, or they form a large group of 30 or even 150 individuals. However, there is low cohesiveness among the members of these bachelor herds, and hierarchy is absent. Nowak (1991), Grizmek (1990).
Vicunas are found in semiarid rolling grasslands and plains at altitudes of 3,500-5,750 meters. These lands are covered with short and tough vegetation. Due to their daily water demands, vicunas live in areas where water is readily accessible. Climate in the habitat is usually dry and cold. Nowak (1991), Grizmek (1990).
The vicuna is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, and as endangered by the USDI. During the period of the Incas, the total population reached 1.5 million. With the fall of the empire, the number dropped dramatically due to massive slaughter by the conquerors and the settlers. By 1960, the number decreased to only 6,000. Recent efforts of establishing national parks and organizations for protection of vicunas have brought the population back up to 125,000. About half of this number live at the Pampas Galeras National Vicuna Reserve in Peru. Nowak (1991), Grzimek (1990).