View source for Camel

{{Short description|Genus of mammals}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Pp|small=yes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|3.6|0|[[Pliocene]]–Recent|ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=42521|title=Fossilworks: Camelus|website=fossilworks.org|access-date=2021-12-17|archive-date=2021-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212195107/http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=42521|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| name = Camel
| image = 07. Camel Profile, near Silverton, NSW, 07.07.2007.jpg
| image_upright = 
| image_alt = A one-humped camel
| image_caption = [[Dromedary]]<br/> (''Camelus dromedarius'')
| image2 = Bactrian Camel.jpg
| image2_upright = 
| image2_alt = A shaggy two-humped camel
| image2_caption = [[Bactrian camel]]<br/> (''Camelus bactrianus'')
| taxon = Camelus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species = ''[[Camelus dromedarius]]'' <ref>{{MSW3|id=14200111}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758
<!--| range_map = need combined range map of all three camel species-->
<!--| range_map_caption = Global range of camels-->| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = {{Plain list|
* ''[[Camelus bactrianus]]''
* ''[[Camelus dromedarius]]''
* ''[[Camelus ferus]]''
* †''[[Camelus grattardi]]'' (fossil)<ref name="Geraads2019">{{cite journal|last1=Geraads|first1=D.|last2=Barr|first2=W. A.|last3=Reed|first3=D.|last4=Laurin|first4=M. |last5=Alemseged|first5=Z.|title=New Remains of ''Camelus grattardi'' (Mammalia, Camelidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of Ethiopia and the Phylogeny of the Genus|journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution|date=2019|volume=28|issue=2 |pages=359–370|doi=10.1007/s10914-019-09489-2 |s2cid=209331892|url=https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02457813/file/Geraads%20et%20al.%20-%202019%20-%20New%20Remains%20of%20Camelus%20grattardi%20%28Mammalia%2C%20Cameli.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003073130/https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02457813/file/Geraads%20et%20al.%20-%202019%20-%20New%20Remains%20of%20Camelus%20grattardi%20%28Mammalia%2C%20Cameli.pdf |archive-date=2020-10-03 |url-status=live|issn = 1064-7554}}</ref>
* †''[[Camelus knoblochi]]'' (fossil)<ref name="Titov2018">{{cite journal|last1=Titov|first1=V. V.|title=Habitat conditions for ''Camelus knoblochi'' and factors in its extinction|journal=Quaternary International |date=2008|volume=179 |issue= 1 |pages=120–125|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2007.10.022|bibcode=2008QuInt.179..120T}}</ref>
* †''[[Camelus moreli]]'' (fossil)
* †''[[Camelus sivalensis]]'' (fossil)<ref>{{cite book| publisher = R. Hardwicke| last = Falconer| first = Hugh| title = Palæontological Memoirs and Notes of the Late Hugh Falconer: Fauna antiqua sivalensis| year = 1868| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4r4wAQAAMAAJ/page/n274 231]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4r4wAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>
* †''[[Camelus thomasi]]'' (fossil)<ref name="Martini2018">{{cite journal|last1=Martini|first1=P.|last2=Geraads|first2=D.|title=''Camelus thomasi'' Pomel, 1893 from the Pleistocene type-locality Tighennif (Algeria). Comparisons with modern ''Camelus''|journal=Geodiversitas |date=2019|volume=40 |issue= 1|pages=115–134|doi= 10.5252/geodiversitas2018v40a5|doi-access=free}}</ref>
}}
| range_map = Camels by country per capita.png
| range_map_caption = Distribution of camels worldwide
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|Title=List
|''Camellus'' <small>[[Juan Ignacio Molina|Molina]], 1782</small>
|''Dromedarius'' <small>[[C. L. Gloger|Gloger]], 1841</small>
}}
}}

A '''camel''' (from {{langx|la|camelus}} and {{lang-grc-gre|κάμηλος}} ({{Transliteration|el|kamēlos}}) from [[Semitic languages|Ancient Semitic]]: ''gāmāl''<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2005 |title=camel |encyclopedia=The New Oxford American Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press, Inc |edition=2nd}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Herper |first=Douglas |title=camel |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=camel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927090522/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=camel |archive-date=27 September 2013 |access-date=28 November 2012 |work=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>) is an [[Artiodactyl|even-toed ungulate]] in the [[genus]] '''''Camelus''''' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been [[domesticated]] and, as [[livestock]], they provide food ([[camel milk]] and meat) and textiles (fiber and felt from [[camel hair]]). Camels are [[working animal]]s especially suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. There are three surviving [[species]] of camel. The one-humped [[dromedary]] makes up 94% of the world's camel population, and the two-humped [[Bactrian camel]] makes up 6%. The [[wild Bactrian camel]] is a distinct species that is not ancestral to the domestic Bactrian camel, and is now [[critically endangered]], with fewer than 1,000 individuals.

The word ''camel'' is also used informally in a wider sense, where the more correct term is "camelid", to include all seven species of the family [[Camelidae]]: the true camels (the above three species), along with the "New World" camelids: the [[llama]], the [[alpaca]], the [[guanaco]], and the [[vicuña]], which belong to the separate tribe [[Lamini]].<ref name=bornstein10>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1186/1751-0147-52-S1-S17 | issn = 1751-0147 | volume = 52 | issue = Suppl 1 | page = S17 | last = Bornstein | first = Set | title = Important ectoparasites of Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) | journal = Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica | year = 2010 | pmc = 2994293 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Camelids originated in North America during the [[Eocene]], with the ancestor of modern camels, ''[[Paracamelus]]'', migrating across the [[Bering land bridge]] into Asia during the late [[Miocene]], around 6 million years ago.

==Taxonomy==

===Extant species===
Three species are [[Extant taxa|extant]]:<ref name="Burger_al.2019">{{cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=P. A. |last2=Ciani |first2=E. |last3=Faye |first3=B. |title=Old World camels in a modern world – a balancing act between conservation and genetic improvement |journal=[[Animal Genetics]] |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=598–612 |doi=10.1111/age.12858 |pmid=31532019 |pmc=6899786 |date=2019-09-18 }}</ref><ref name="Chuluunbaat_al.2014">{{cite journal |last1=Chuluunbat |first1=B. |last2=Charruau |first2=P. |last3=Silbermayr |first3=K. |last4=Khorloojav |first4=T. |last5=Burger |first5=P. A. |year=2014 |title=Genetic diversity and population structure of Mongolian domestic Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) |journal=[[Anim Genet]] |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=550–558 |doi=10.1111/age.12158 |pmc=4171754 |pmid=24749721}}</ref>

{{Species table |genus=Camelus  |authority-name= [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]]|authority-year= [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] |species-count=nine|no-note=y|narrow-percent=73}}

{{Species table/row
|name=Bactrian camel|binomial=[[Camelus bactrianus]]
|image=File:2011 Trampeltier 1528.JPG|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Linnaeus|authority-year= 1758|authority-not-original=
|range=  Domesticated; [[Central Asia]], including the historical region of [[Bactria]] and [[Turkey]].
|range-image=File: Bactrianmap.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= 
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Dromedary]] / Arabian camel|binomial=[[Camelus dromedarius]]
|image=File:Camelus dromedarius at Tierpark Berlin (1).JPG |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Linnaeus|authority-year= 1758|authority-not-original=
|range= Domesticated; the [[Middle East]], [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]], and [[South Asia]]; introduced to [[Australia]]
|range-image=File: Arabiancamelmap.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= 
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Wild Bactrian camel|binomial=[[Camelus ferus]]
|image=File:2017-09-03 AT Engelhartstetten, Schloss Hof, Camelus ferus (32226959887).jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Przewalski|authority-year= 1878|authority-not-original=
|range=  Remote areas of [[northwest China]] and [[Mongolia]]
|range-image=File:Camelus ferus distribution.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= CR
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/end}}

==Biology==
The average [[life expectancy]] of a camel is 40 to 50 years.<ref name="nationalgeo-bactrian">{{cite web | title = Bactrian Camel: Camelus bactrianus | work = National Geographic | date = 10 May 2011 | access-date = 28 November 2012 | url = http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bactrian-camel/ | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104103313/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bactrian-camel | archive-date = 4 November 2012 }}</ref> A full-grown adult dromedary camel stands {{convert|1.85|m|ftin|abbr=on}} at the shoulder and {{convert|2.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}} at the hump.<ref name=camello>{{cite web| publisher = Camello Safari | title = The amazing characteristics of the camels | access-date = 26 November 2012 | url = http://www.camellosafari.com/?page_id=251 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107134110/http://www.camellosafari.com/?page_id=251 | archive-date = 7 November 2012}}</ref> Bactrian camels can be a foot taller. Camels can run at up to {{convert|65|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}} in short bursts and sustain speeds of up to {{convert|40|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=bigfacts>{{cite web| title = How Fast Can Camels Run and How Long Can They Run For? | work = Big Site of Amazing Facts | date = 17 April 2010 | access-date = 29 November 2012 | url = http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/how-fast-can-camels-run-and-how-long-can-they-run-for/}}</ref> Bactrian camels weigh {{convert|300|to|1000|kg|lbs|abbr=on}} and dromedaries {{convert|300|to|600|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}. The widening toes on a camel's [[hoof]] provide supplemental grip for varying soil sediments.<ref>Fayed, R. H. "Adaptation of the Camel to Desert environment." Proceedings of the ESARF 11th Annual Conference. Available at:< http://esarf2{{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}. tripod. com/conf2001proc. htm>,(accessed on November 18, 2010). 2001.</ref>

The male dromedary camel has an organ called a ''dulla'' in his throat, a large, inflatable sac that he extrudes from his mouth when in [[rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]] to assert dominance and attract females. It resembles a long, swollen, pink tongue hanging out of the side of the camel's mouth.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Injury |volume= 43 |issue= 9 |pages= 1617–1620 |title= Camel bite injuries in United Arab Emirates: A 6 year prospective study |first1= Fikri M. |last1= Abu-Zidana |first2= Hani O. |last2= Eida |first3= Ashraf F. |last3= Hefnya |first4= Masoud O. |last4= Bashira |first5= Frank |last5= Branickia |doi= 10.1016/j.injury.2011.10.039 |pmid= 22186231 |date= 18 December 2011 |quote= The male mature camel has a specialized inflatable diverticulum of the soft palate called the "Dulla". and During rutting the Dulla enlarges on filling with air from the trachea until it hangs out of the mouth of the camel and comes to resemble a pink ball. This occurs in only the one-humped camel. Copious saliva turns to foam covering the mouth as the male gurgles and makes metallic sounds. [6 cites to 5 references omitted]}}</ref> Camels mate by having both male and female sitting on the ground, with the male mounting from behind.<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqxQbUMV8zQ|title=Two Male Camels Fighting Over One Female|website=Youtube.com|access-date=2016-01-08|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219060529/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqxQbUMV8zQ|archive-date=2015-12-19}}</ref> The male usually [[ejaculates]] three or four times within a single mating session.<ref name=mukasa81 /> Camelids are the only ungulates to mate in a sitting position.<ref name=sandiegozoo>{{cite web | publisher = San Diego Zoo Global Library | title = Bactrian & Dromedary Camels | work = Factsheets | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = March 2009 | url = http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/camel/camel.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120922092103/http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/camel/camel.htm | archive-date = 22 September 2012 }}</ref>{{anchor|Eco-behavioral adaptations}}

===Ecological and behavioral adaptations===
{{anchor |Hump}}

[[File:Teve 3.jpg |thumb |Camel humps store fat for when food is scarce. If a camel uses the fat, the hump becomes limp and droops.]]

Camels do not directly store water in their humps; they are reservoirs of fatty tissue. When this tissue is metabolized, it yields a greater mass of water than that of the fat processed. This [[lipolysis |fat metabolization]], while releasing energy, causes water to evaporate from the lungs during [[breathing |respiration]] (as oxygen is required for the metabolic process): overall, there is a net decrease in water.<ref name=vannjones>{{cite web |url=http://www.djur.cob.lu.se/Djurartiklar/Kamel.html |title=What secrets lie within the camel's hump? |first=Kerstin |last=Vann Jones |publisher=[[Lund University]] |location=[[Sweden]] |access-date=7 January 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523104134/http://www.djur.cob.lu.se/Djurartiklar/Kamel.html |archive-date=23 May 2009}}</ref><ref name=rastogi71>{{cite book |publisher=[[New Age International]] |isbn=9788122412796 |last=Rastogi |first=S. C. |title=Essentials Of Animal Physiology |year=1971 |pages=180–181}}</ref>

[[File:Camel portrait.jpg |upright |thumb |alt=A portrait of a camel with a visibly thick mane |A camel's thick coat is one of its many adaptations that aid it in desert-like conditions.<!---Don't move this image up or it causes a break in the text on wide screens--->]]
[[File:Eylcamel.jpg |thumb |alt=A leashed pack camel |A camel in [[wildlife of Somalia |Somalia]], which has the world's largest camel population<ref name="Bernstein"/>]]
Camels have a series of physiological adaptations that allow them to withstand long periods of time without any external source of water.<ref name="roberts86">{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=Michael Bliss Vaughan |title=Biology: A Functional Approach |publisher=[[Nelson Thornes]] |year=1986 |isbn=9780174480198 |pages=234–235, 241}}</ref> The dromedary camel can drink as seldom as once every 10 days even under very hot conditions, and can lose up to 30% of its body mass due to dehydration.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002240/224033e.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109175143/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002240/224033e.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-09 |url-status=live |title=The Camel from Tradition To Modern Times |author=[[UNESCO]] }}</ref> Unlike other mammals, camels' [[red blood cell]]s are oval rather than circular in shape. This facilitates the flow of red blood cells during dehydration<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eitan |first1=A |last2=Aloni |first2=B |last3=Livne |first3=A |title=Unique properties of the camel erythrocyte membraneII. Organization of membrane proteins |journal=[[Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes]] |volume=426 |issue=4 |pages=647–58 |year=1976 |doi=10.1016/0005-2736(76)90129-2 |pmid=816376 }}</ref> and makes them better at withstanding high [[osmosis |osmotic]] variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zoo-hannover.de/zoo-hannover/en/zoo_v3/tiere_attraktionen/tiere_az/tiere_detail_726.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025001139/http://www.zoo-hannover.de/zoo-hannover/en/zoo_v3/tiere_attraktionen/tiere_az/tiere_detail_726.html |archive-date=25 October 2005 |title= Dromedary |publisher=Hannover Zoo |access-date=8 January 2008}}</ref><ref name=mares99>{{cite book |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=9780806131467 |editor1-last=Mares |editor2-last=Michael A. |title=Deserts |year=1999 |chapter=Camel |pages=96–97 |first=E. Anette |last=Halpern |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3CbqZtaF4oC&pg=PA96 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429083434/https://books.google.com/books?id=g3CbqZtaF4oC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA96 |archive-date=2016-04-29}}</ref>

Camels are able to withstand changes in [[body temperature]] and water consumption that would kill most other mammals. Their temperature ranges from {{convert |34 |°C |°F |0 |abbr=on}} at dawn and steadily increases to {{convert |40 |°C |°F |0 |abbr=on}} by sunset, before they cool off at night again.<ref name=roberts86 /> In general, to compare between camels and the other livestock, camels lose only 1.3 liters of fluid intake every day while the other livestock lose 20 to 40 liters per day.<ref>Breulmann, M., Böer, B., Wernery, U., Wernery, R., El Shaer, H., Alhadrami, G., ... Norton, J. (2007). "The Camel From Tradition to Modern Times" (PDF). [[UNESCO]] DOHA OFFICE.</ref> Maintaining the brain temperature within certain limits is critical for animals; to assist this, camels have a [[rete mirabile]], a complex of arteries and veins lying very close to each other which utilizes countercurrent blood flow to cool blood flowing to the brain.<ref name="Inside Nature's Giants">[[Inside Nature's Giants]]. [[Channel 4 (UK)]] documentary. Transmitted 30 August 2011</ref> Camels rarely sweat, even when ambient temperatures reach {{convert |49 |°C |°F |0 |abbr=on}}.<ref name="nationalgeo-dromedary">{{cite web |title=Arabian (Dromedary) Camel |access-date=25 November 2012 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |work=National Geographic |date=10 May 2011 |url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dromedary-camel/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119062839/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dromedary-camel |archive-date=19 November 2012}}</ref> Any sweat that does occur evaporates at the skin level rather than at the surface of their coat; the [[heat of vaporization]] therefore comes from body heat rather than ambient heat. Camels can withstand losing 25% of their body weight in water, whereas most other mammals can withstand only about 12–14% dehydration before [[Congestive heart failure |cardiac failure]] results from circulatory disturbance.<ref name=mares99/>

When the camel exhales, [[water vapor]] becomes trapped in their [[nostrils]] and is reabsorbed into the body as a means to conserve water.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/12/travel/a-pilgrimage-to-a-mystic-s-hermitage-in-algeria.html |title=A Pilgrimage To A Mystic's Hermitage In Algeria |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |date=12 July 1981 |access-date=7 March 2009 |first=Paul |last=Lewis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804093505/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/12/travel/a-pilgrimage-to-a-mystic-s-hermitage-in-algeria.html |archive-date=4 August 2009 }}</ref> Camels eating green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their bodies' hydrated state without the need for drinking.<ref name=fao94>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0690e/t0690e09.htm |title=A manual for primary animal health care worker |chapter=Camels, llamas and alpacas |year=1994 |series=[[FAO Animal Health Manual]] |publisher=[[FAO Agriculture and Consumer Protection]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727212250/http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0690e/t0690e09.htm |archive-date=2008-07-27}}</ref>

[[File:Camels in Dubai 2.jpg |right |thumb |Domesticated camel calves lying in sternal recumbency, which aids heat loss]]
The camel's thick coat insulates it from the intense heat radiated from desert sand; a shorn camel must sweat 50% more to avoid overheating.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schmidt-Nielsen |first=K. |year=1964 |title=Desert Animals: Physiological Problems of Heat and Water |location=New York |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (OUP)}} Cited in {{cite web |url=http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Blackwell/Fur.htm |title=Coat of fur on the camel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030225103329/http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Blackwell/Fur.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2003 |website=[[Davidson College]]}}</ref> During the summer the coat becomes lighter in color, reflecting light as well as helping avoid sunburn.<ref name=mares99 /> The camel's long legs help by keeping its body farther from the ground, which can heat up to {{convert |70 |°C |°F |0 |abbr=on}}.<ref name=bronxzoo>{{cite web |author=Bronx Zoo |title=Camel Adaptations |access-date=29 November 2012 |url=http://www.bronxzoo.com/files/engage.html |publisher=[[Wildlife Conservation Society]] |format=Flash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626071454/http://www.bronxzoo.com/files/engage.html |archive-date=26 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=rundel05>{{cite book |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] (CUP) |isbn=9780521021418 |last1=Rundel |first1=Philip Wilson |first2=Arthur C. |last2=Gibson |title=Ecological Communities And Processes in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem: Rock Valley, Nevada |date=30 September 2005 |chapter=Adaptations of Mojave Desert Animals |page=130 }}</ref> Dromedaries have a pad of thick tissue over the [[sternum]] called the ''pedestal''. When the animal lies down in a sternal recumbent position, the pedestal raises the body from the hot surface and allows cooling air to pass under the body.<ref name="Inside Nature's Giants"/>

Camels' mouths have a thick leathery lining, allowing them to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with nostrils that can close, form a barrier against sand. If sand gets lodged in their eyes, they can dislodge it using their translucent [[third eyelid]] (also known as the nictitating membrane). The camels' gait and widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand.<ref name=bronxzoo /><ref name=silverstein08>{{cite book |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=9780822534341 |last1=Silverstein |first1=Alvin |first2=Virginia B |last2=Silverstein |first3=Virginia |last3=Silverstein<!--No, really.--> |first4=Laura |last4=Silverstein Nunn |title=Adaptation |year=2008 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/adaptation0000silv/page/42 42–43] |url=https://archive.org/details/adaptation0000silv/page/42 }}</ref>

The [[kidney]]s and [[intestines]] of a camel are very efficient at reabsorbing water. Camels' kidneys have a 1:4 [[Renal cortex |cortex]] to [[Renal medulla |medulla ratio]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249746665 |title=Morphometric analysis of heart, kidneys and adrenal glands in dromedary camel calves (PDF Download Available) |website=ResearchGate |language=en |access-date=2017-03-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304040835/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249746665_Morphometric_analysis_of_heart_kidneys_and_adrenal_glands_in_dromedary_camel_calves |archive-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> Thus, the medullary part of a camel's kidney occupies twice as much area as a cow's kidney. Secondly, [[renal corpuscles]] have a smaller diameter, which reduces surface area for filtration. These two major anatomical characteristics enable camels to conserve water and limit the volume of urine in extreme desert conditions.<ref name="Rehan08">Rehan S and AS Qureshi, 2006. Microscopic evaluation of the heart, kidneys and adrenal glands of one-humped camel calves (Camelus dromedarius) using semi automated image analysis system. J Camel Pract Res. 13(2): 123
</ref> [[Camel urine]] comes out as a thick syrup, and camel faeces are so dry that they do not require drying when used to fuel fires.<ref name=davidson06 /><ref name="davidson-kidney">{{cite web |url=http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Blackwell/Kidney.htm |publisher=Davidson College |title=Kidneys and Concentrated Urine |work= Temperature and Water Relations in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030225104431/http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Blackwell/Kidney.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2003}}</ref><ref name=junglestore>{{cite web |title=Fun facts about the Camel |work=The Jungle Store |access-date=3 December 2012 |url=http://www.thejunglestore.com/Camels |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117070148/http://www.thejunglestore.com/Camels |archive-date=17 November 2012 }}</ref><ref name=fedewa00 />

The camel [[immune system]] differs from those of other mammals. Normally, the Y-shaped [[antibody]] molecules consist of two heavy (or long) chains along the length of the Y, and two light (or short) chains at each tip of the Y.<ref name="Camelized" /> Camels, in addition to these, also have antibodies made of only two heavy chains, a trait that makes them smaller and more durable.<ref name="Camelized" /> These "heavy-chain-only" antibodies, discovered in 1993, are thought to have developed 50&nbsp;million years ago, after camelids split from ruminants and pigs.<ref name="Camelized" >{{cite journal |last1=Koenig |first1=R. |department=Veterinary Medicine |title='Camelized' Antibodies Make Waves |journal=[[Science (journal) |Science]] |volume=318 |issue=5855 |page=1373 |year=2007 |pmid=18048665 |doi=10.1126/science.318.5855.1373 |s2cid=71028674}}</ref> Camels suffer from [[surra]] caused by ''[[Trypanosoma evansi]]'' wherever camels are domesticated in the world,<ref name="Sazmand-Joachim-2017">{{cite journal |last1=Sazmand |first1=Alireza |last2=Joachim |first2=Anja |title=Parasitic diseases of camels in Iran (1931–2017) – a literature review |journal=[[Parasite (journal) |Parasite]] |publisher=[[EDP Sciences]] |volume=24 |year=2017 |issn=1776-1042 |doi=10.1051/parasite/2017024 |pages=1–15 |s2cid=13783061 |pmid=28617666 |pmc=5479402 |id=Article Number 21}}</ref>{{RP |page=2}} and resultantly camels have evolved trypanolytic antibodies as with many mammals.<!--- This is true but needs a source. I should have included one. [[User:Invasive Spices]] ---> In the future, nanobody/[[single-domain antibody]] therapy will surpass natural camel antibodies by reaching locations currently unreachable due to natural antibodies' larger size.<ref name="Muyldermans-2013" />{{RP |page=788}} Such therapies may also be suitable for other mammals.<ref name="Muyldermans-2013">{{cite journal |last=Muyldermans |first=Serge |title=Nanobodies: Natural Single-Domain Antibodies |journal=[[Annual Review of Biochemistry]] |publisher=[[Annual Reviews (publisher) |Annual Reviews]] |volume=82 |issue=1 |date=2013-06-02 |issn=0066-4154 |doi=10.1146/annurev-biochem-063011-092449 |pages=775–797 |pmid=23495938 }}</ref>{{RP |page=788}} Tran ''et al.'' 2009 provides a new [[reference test]] for [[surra]] (''T. evansi'') of camel.<ref name="New-Test" /> They use [[recombinant protein |recombinant]] {{Visible anchor |Invariant Surface Glycoprotein 75 |ISG75}} (rISG75, an [[Invariant Surface Glycoprotein]]) and [[ELISA]].<ref name="New-Test" /> The Tran test has high [[test specificity]] and appears likely to work just as well for ''T. evansi'' in other hosts, and for a pan-''[[Trypanozoon]]'' test, which would also be useful for ''[[Trypanosoma brucei brucei |T. b. brucei]]'', ''[[Trypanosoma brucei gambiense |T. b. gambiense]]'', ''[[Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense |T. b. rhodesiense]]'', and ''[[Trypanosoma equiperdum |T. equiperdum]]''.<ref name="New-Test">{{Unbulleted list citebundle
 |{{*}} {{ Cite journal |year =2009 |volume=16 |issue =7 |location =[[Washington, D.C.]] |journal=[[Clinical and Vaccine Immunology]] |issn =1556-6811 |first5=Philippe |first4=Henri |first3=Didier |first2=Filip |first1=Thao |last5 =Buscher |last4 =Greve |last3 =Verloo |last2 =Claes |last1 =Tran |publisher =ASM Journals ([[American Society for Microbiology]]) |pages =999–1002 |title =Towards a New Reference Test for Surra in Camels |s2cid =5726158 |doi=10.1128/CVI.00096-09 |pmid=19403780 |pmc=2708406 }}
...is cited by:
 |{{*}} {{ Cite journal |year =2019 |volume=12 |pages =1–8 |publisher =[[BioMed Central]] |first9=Nick |first8=Louis |first4=Noboru |first3=Laurent |first2=Mary |first1=Philippe |last9 =Reet |last6 =Schnaufer |last5 =Pascucci |last4 =Inoue |last3 =Hebert |last1 =Buscher |first7=Keisuke |first6=Achim |first5=Ilaria |last8 =Touratier |last7 =Suganuma |last2 =Gonzatti |oclc =212423889 |lccn =2008243698 |issn =1756-3305 |journal=[[Parasites & Vectors]] |s2cid =155093354 |doi=10.1186/s13071-019-3484-x |id=234. PB {{ORCID |0000-0002-1926-74721}} |title =Equine trypanosomosis: enigmas and diagnostic challenges |issue=1 |pmid=31092285 |pmc=6518633 |doi-access=free }}
 |{{*}} {{ Cite journal |title =African trypanosomiasis and antibodies: implications for vaccination, therapy and diagnosis |doi=10.2217/fmb.09.65 |s2cid =36127288 |publisher =[[Future Medicine Ltd]] |oclc =316181912 |journal=[[Future Microbiology]] |pages =1075–1087 |year =2009 |volume=4 |issue =8 |first2=Magdalena |first1=Stefan |last2 =Radwanska |last1 =Magez |pmid=19824795 }} }}</ref>

===Genetics===
The [[karyotype]]s of different camelid species have been studied earlier by many groups,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=K.M. |last2=Hungerford |first2=D.A. |last3=Snyder |first3=R.L. |last4=Ulmer Jr. |first4=F.A. |title=Uniformity of karyotypes in the Camelidae |journal=Cytogenetic and Genome Research |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=8–15 |year=1968 |doi=10.1159/000129967 |pmid=5659175}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Koulischer |first1=L |last2=Tijskens |first2=J |last3=Mortelmans |first3=J |title=Mammalian cytogenetics. IV. The chromosomes of two male Camelidae: Camelus bactrianus and Lama vicugna. |journal=Acta Zoologica et Pathologica Antverpiensia |volume=52 |pages=89–92 |year=1971 |pmid=5163286}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bianchi |first1=N. O. |last2=Larramendy |first2=M. L. |last3=Bianchi |first3=M. S. |last4=Cortés |first4=L. |title=Karyological conservatism in South American camelids |journal=Experientia |volume=42 |issue=6 |pages=622–4 |year=1986 |doi=10.1007/BF01955563|s2cid=23440910 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Thomas D. |last1=Bunch |first2=Warren C. |last2=Foote |first3=Alma |last3=Maciulis |year=1985 |title=Chromosome banding pattern homologies and NORs for the Bactrian camel, guanaco, and llama |journal=Journal of Heredity |volume=76 |issue=2 |pages=115–8 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a110034 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Stephen J. |editor1-last=O'Brien |editor2-first=Joan C. |editor2-last=Menninger |editor3-first=William G. |editor3-last=Nash |year=2006 |title=Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes |url=https://archive.org/details/atlasmammalianch00obri |url-access=limited |location=New York |publisher=Wiley-Liss |isbn=978-0-471-35015-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/atlasmammalianch00obri/page/n589 547]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Di Berardino |first1=D. |last2=Nicodemo |first2=D. |last3=Coppola |first3=G. |last4=King |first4=A.W. |last5=Ramunno |first5=L. |last6=Cosenza |first6=G.F. |last7=Iannuzzi |first7=L. |last8=Di Meo |first8=G.P. |last9=Balmus |first9=G. | display-authors = 8|title=Cytogenetic characterization of alpaca (''Lama pacos'', fam. Camelidae) prometaphase chromosomes |journal=Cytogenetic and Genome Research |volume=115 |issue=2 |pages=138–44 |year=2006 |pmid=17065795 |doi=10.1159/000095234|s2cid=21378633 }}</ref> but no agreement on chromosome nomenclature of camelids has been reached. A 2007 study [[flow sorting|flow sorted]] camel chromosomes, building on the fact that camels have 37 pairs of chromosomes (2n=74), and found that the karyotype consisted of one [[Centromere#Metacentric|metacentric]], three submetacentric, and 32 acrocentric autosomes. The [[Y chromosome|Y]] is a small metacentric chromosome, while the [[X chromosome|X]] is a large metacentric chromosome.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Balmus |first1=Gabriel |last2=Trifonov |first2=Vladimir A. |last3=Biltueva |first3=Larisa S. |last4=O'Brien |first4=Patricia C.M. |last5=Alkalaeva |first5=Elena S. |last6=Fu |first6=Beiyuan |last7=Skidmore |first7=Julian A. |last8=Allen |first8=Twink |last9=Graphodatsky |first9=Alexander S. | display-authors = 8|title=Cross-species chromosome painting among camel, cattle, pig and human: further insights into the putative Cetartiodactyla ancestral karyotype |journal=Chromosome Research |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=499–515 |year=2007 |pmid=17671843 |doi=10.1007/s10577-007-1154-x|s2cid=23226488 }}</ref>
[[File:Camel skull.jpg|thumb|right|Skull of an F1 hybrid camel, [[Museum of Osteology]], Oklahoma]]
The [[hybrid camel]], a hybrid between Bactrian and dromedary camels, has one hump, though it has an indentation {{convert|4|–|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} deep that divides the front from the back. The hybrid is {{convert|2.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}} at the shoulder and {{convert|2.32|m|ftin|abbr=on}} tall at the hump. It weighs an average of {{convert|650|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and can carry around {{convert|400|to|450|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, which is more than either the dromedary or Bactrian can.<ref name=potts>{{cite journal|url=http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/newsletter/vol3num1/7_bactrian.php|title=Bactrian Camels and Bactrian-Dromedary Hybrids|last=Potts|first=Danel|journal=Silkroad|volume=3|issue=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623020952/http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/newsletter/vol3num1/7_bactrian.php|archive-date=2016-06-23|access-date=2012-11-29}}</ref>

According to molecular data, the wild Bactrian camel (''C. ferus'') separated from the domestic Bactrian camel (''C. bactrianus'') about 1 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mohandesan|first1=Elmira|last2=Fitak|first2=Robert R.|last3=Corander|first3=Jukka|last4=Yadamsuren|first4=Adiya|last5=Chuluunbat|first5=Battsetseg|last6=Abdelhadi|first6=Omer|last7=Raziq|first7=Abdul|last8=Nagy|first8=Peter|last9=Stalder|first9=Gabrielle|date=30 August 2017|title=Mitogenome Sequencing in the Genus Camelus Reveals Evidence for Purifying Selection and Long-term Divergence between Wild and Domestic Bactrian Camels|journal=[[Scientific Reports]]|language=En|volume=7|issue=1|pages=9970|doi=10.1038/s41598-017-08995-8|pmid=28855525|issn=2045-2322|pmc=5577142|bibcode=2017NatSR...7.9970M}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ji|first1=R|last2=Cui|first2=P|last3=Ding|first3=F|last4=Geng|first4=J|last5=Gao|first5=H|last6=Zhang|first6=H|last7=Yu|first7=J|last8=Hu|first8=S|last9=Meng|first9=H|date=August 2009|title=Monophyletic origin of domestic bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and its evolutionary relationship with the extant wild camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus)|journal=Animal Genetics|volume=40|issue=4|pages=377–382|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2052.2008.01848.x|issn=0268-9146|pmc=2721964|pmid=19292708}}</ref> New World and Old World camelids diverged about 11 million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stanley |first1=H. F. |last2=Kadwell |first2=M. |last3=Wheeler |first3=J. C. |title=Molecular Evolution of the Family Camelidae: A Mitochondrial DNA Study |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=256 |issue=1345 |pages=1–6 |year=1994 |doi=10.1098/rspb.1994.0041|pmid=8008753 |bibcode=1994RSPSB.256....1S |s2cid=40857282 }}</ref> In spite of this, these species can hybridize and produce viable offspring.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Skidmore |first1=J. A. |last2=Billah |first2=M. |last3=Binns |first3=M. |last4=Short |first4=R. V. |last5=Allen |first5=W. R. |title=Hybridizing Old and New World camelids: Camelus dromedarius x Lama guanicoe |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=266 |issue=1420 |pages=649–56 |year=1999 |doi=10.1098/rspb.1999.0685 |pmid=10331286 |pmc=1689826}}</ref> The [[Cama (animal)|cama]] is a camel-llama hybrid bred by scientists to see how closely related the parent species are.<ref name="bbc-came">{{cite news | title = Meet Rama the cama ... | publisher = BBC | access-date = 29 November 2012 | date = 21 January 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/49301.stm | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023042733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/49301.stm | archive-date = 23 October 2012 }}</ref> Scientists [[collected semen]] from a camel via an artificial vagina and inseminated a llama after stimulating ovulation with [[gonadotrophin]] injections.<ref name=fahmy02>{{cite web|title='Cama' camel/llama hybrids born in UAE research centre |url=http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2002/03/21/emirates-cama/ |first=Miral |last=Fahmy |date=21 March 2002 |access-date=28 November 2012 |work=Science in the News |publisher=The Royal Society of New Zealand |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927105152/http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2002/03/21/emirates-cama/ |archive-date=27 September 2013 }}</ref> The cama is halfway in size between a camel and a llama and lacks a hump. It has ears intermediate between those of camels and llamas, longer legs than the llama, and partially [[cloven-hoof|cloven hooves]].<ref name=campbell05>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/highereducation.science | title=Bad karma for cross llama without a hump | newspaper=The Guardian | first=Duncan | last=Campbell | date=15 July 2002 | access-date=2 March 2009 | location=London | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826054716/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/highereducation.science | archive-date=26 August 2013 }}</ref><ref name=metrouk>{{cite web | title = Joy for world's first camel and llama cross | work = Metro UK | access-date = 29 November 2012 | url = http://www.metro.co.uk/news/136134-joy-for-world-s-first-camel-and-llama-cross | date = 6 April 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121125032426/http://www.metro.co.uk/news/136134-joy-for-world-s-first-camel-and-llama-cross | archive-date = 25 November 2012 }}</ref> Like the [[mule]], camas are sterile, despite both parents having the same number of chromosomes.<ref name="fahmy02"/>

===Evolution===
The earliest known camel, called ''[[Protylopus]]'', lived in North America 40 to 50 million years ago (during the [[Eocene]]).<ref name=mukasa81 /> It was about the size of a rabbit and lived in the open woodlands of what is now [[South Dakota]].<ref name=harington97>{{cite web|last=Harington |first=C. R. |title=Ice Age Yukon and Alaskan Camels |work=Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre |access-date=3 December 2012 |date=June 1997 |url=http://www.beringia.com/research/camels.html |publisher=Government of Yukon, Department of Tourism and Culture, Museums Unit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126013451/http://www.beringia.com/research/camels.html |archive-date=26 January 2013 }}</ref><ref name=bernstein09>{{cite book | publisher = Grove Press | isbn = 9780802144164 | last = Bernstein | first = William J. | title = A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World | date = 6 May 2009 |pages=54–55 }}</ref> By 35 million years ago, the ''[[Poebrotherium]]'' was the size of a goat and had many more traits similar to camels and llamas.<ref name=northdakota>{{cite web |website=North Dakota Industrial Commission Department of Mineral Resources |title=''Poebrotherium'' |url=https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/poster/PDF/Poebrotherium.pdf |access-date=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725092634/https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/Poster/PDF/Poebrotherium.pdf |archive-date=25 July 2012}}</ref><ref name=scibuzz04>{{cite web | publisher = Science Museum of Minnesota | title = Fossil camel skull (Poebrotherium sp.) | work = Science Buzz | access-date = 3 December 2012 | date = January 2004 | url = http://www.sciencebuzz.org/museum/object/2004_01_fossil_camel_skull_poebrotherium | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121014130040/http://www.sciencebuzz.org/museum/object/2004_01_fossil_camel_skull_poebrotherium | archive-date = 14 October 2012 }}</ref> The hoofed ''[[Stenomylus]]'', which walked on the tips of its toes, also existed around this time, and the long-necked ''[[Aepycamelus]]'' evolved in the [[Miocene]].<ref name=kindersley08>{{cite encyclopedia | publisher = Penguin | isbn = 9780756682415 | last = Kindersley | first = Dorling | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life |title=Camels |pages=266–7 | date = 2 June 2008 }}</ref> The split between the tribes [[Camelini]], which contains modern camels and [[Lamini]], modern [[llama]]s, [[alpaca]]s, [[vicuña]]s, and [[guanaco]]s, is estimated to have occurred over 16 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lynch |first1=Sinéad |last2=Sánchez-Villagra |first2=Marcelo R. |last3=Balcarcel |first3=Ana |date=December 2020 |title=Description of a fossil camelid from the Pleistocene of Argentina, and a cladistic analysis of the Camelinae |journal=[[Swiss Journal of Palaeontology]] |language=en |volume=139 |issue=1 |page=5 |doi=10.1186/s13358-020-00208-6 |issn=1664-2376 |pmc=7590954 |pmid=33133011 |bibcode=2020SwJP..139....8L |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The ancestor of modern camels, ''[[Paracamelus]]'', migrated into Eurasia from North America via [[Beringia]] during the late Miocene, between 7.5 and 6.5 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Heintzman|first1=Peter D.|last2=Zazula|first2=Grant D.|last3=Cahill|first3=James A.|last4=Reyes|first4=Alberto V.|last5=MacPhee|first5=Ross D.E.|last6=Shapiro|first6=Beth|date=September 2015|title=Genomic Data from Extinct North American Camelops Revise Camel Evolutionary History|url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt4zm8b6kj/qt4zm8b6kj.pdf?t=nwxn49|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|language=en|volume=32|issue=9|pages=2433–2440|doi=10.1093/molbev/msv128|pmid=26037535|issn=0737-4038}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Rybczynski|first1=Natalia|last2=Gosse|first2=John C.|last3=Richard Harington|first3=C.|last4=Wogelius|first4=Roy A.|last5=Hidy|first5=Alan J.|last6=Buckley|first6=Mike|date=June 2013|title=Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution|journal=Nature Communications|language=en|volume=4|issue=1|pages=1550|doi=10.1038/ncomms2516|issn=2041-1723|pmc=3615376|pmid=23462993|bibcode=2013NatCo...4.1550R}}</ref><ref name="singh-tomar">{{cite book | edition = 8th revised | publisher = Rastogi Publications | isbn = 9788171336395 | author1 = Singh | author2 = Tomar | title = Evolutionary Biology | location = New Delhi |page=334}}</ref> During the Pleistocene, around 3 to 1 million years ago, the North American Camelidae spread to South America as part of the [[Great American Interchange]] via the newly formed [[Isthmus of Panama]], where they gave rise to [[guanacos]] and related animals.<ref name=mukasa81 /><ref name=harington97/><ref name=bernstein09/> Populations of ''Paracamelus'' continued to exist in the North American Arctic into the [[Early Pleistocene]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rybczynski |first1=Natalia |first2=John C. |last2=Gosse |first3=C. Richard |last3=Harington |first4=Roy A. |last4=Wogelius |first5=Alan J. |last5=Hidy |first6=Mike |last6=Buckley |title=Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |date=March 5, 2013 |doi=10.1038/ncomms2516 |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=1550 |pmid=23462993 |pmc=3615376 |bibcode=2013NatCo...4.1550R }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Buckley|first1=Michael|last2=Lawless|first2=Craig|last3=Rybczynski|first3=Natalia|date=March 2019|title=Collagen sequence analysis of fossil camels, Camelops and c.f. Paracamelus, from the Arctic and sub-Arctic of Plio-Pleistocene North America|url=https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/85598334/BuckleyCamelopsPaper_AAM.pdf|journal=Journal of Proteomics|language=en|volume=194|pages=218–225|doi=10.1016/j.jprot.2018.11.014|pmid=30468917|s2cid=53713960}}</ref> This creature is estimated to have stood around {{convert|9|ft|m|abbr=off|spell=in}} tall. The Bactrian camel diverged from the dromedary about 1 million years ago, according to the fossil record.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Geraads|first1=Denis|last2=Didier|first2=Gilles|last3=Barr|first3=Andrew|last4=Reed|first4=Denne|last5=Laurin|first5=Michel|date=April 2020|title=The fossil record of camelids demonstrates a late divergence between Bactrian camel and dromedary=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica|journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica|language=en|volume=65|issue=2|pages=251–260|doi=10.4202/app.00727.2020|issn=0567-7920|eissn=1732-2421|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The last camel native to North America was ''[[Camelops hesternus]]'', which vanished along with [[horse]]s, [[Arctodus|short-faced bear]]s, [[mammoth]]s and [[mastodon]]s, [[ground sloth]]s, [[sabertooth cat]]s, and many other megafauna as part of the [[Quaternary extinction event]], coinciding with the migration of humans from Asia at the end of the Pleistocene, around 13–11,000 years ago.<ref name=worboys10>{{cite book | publisher = Earthscan | isbn = 9781844076048 | last1 = Worboys | first1 = Graeme L. | first2 = Wendy L.|last2= Francis|first3= Michael |last3=Lockwood | title = Connectivity Conservation Management: A Global Guide | date = 30 March 2010 |page=142}}</ref><ref name=macphee99>{{cite book | publisher = Springer | isbn = 9780306460920 | last1 = MacPhee | first1 = Ross D. E. | first2 = Hans-Dieter |last2=Sues | title = Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences | date = 30 June 1999 |pages=18, 20, 26}}</ref>

An extinct giant camel species, ''[[Camelus knoblochi]]'' roamed Asia during the Late Pleistocene, before becoming extinct around 20,000 years ago.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Yuan |first1=Junxia |last2=Hu |first2=Jiaming |last3=Liu |first3=Wenhui |last4=Chen |first4=Shungang |last5=Zhang |first5=Fengli |last6=Wang |first6=Siren |last7=Zhang |first7=Zhen |last8=Wang |first8=Linying |last9=Xiao |first9=Bo |last10=Li |first10=Fuqiang |last11=Hofreiter |first11=Michael |last12=Lai |first12=Xulong |last13=Westbury |first13=Michael V. |last14=Sheng |first14=Guilian |date=May 2024 |title=Camelus knoblochi genome reveals the complex evolutionary history of Old World camels |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982224005244 |journal=Current Biology |volume=34 |issue=11 |pages=2502–2508.e5 |language=en |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.050|pmid=38754423 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Stenomylus.jpg|alt=A drawing of two early camels|[[Stenomylus]] illustration
File:NMNH-USNMV16601Stenomylus.tif|[[Stenomylus]] skeleton
File:NMNH-USNMV15917Poebrotherium.jpg|[[Poebrotherium]] skeleton
File:NMNH-USNM244271 2.jpg|[[Procamelus]] skull
File:Camelops hesternus.jpg|alt=|''[[Camelops hesternus]]'', the last true camel native to North America
</gallery>

==Domestication==
[[File:Tomb figurine of a camel, China, Tang dynasty, 618-906 AD, glazed earthenware - Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm - DSC09593.JPG|thumb|A camel carrying supplies, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
[[File:Camello Guimet 01.JPG|thumb|A man on a camel, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
[[File:Tang Pottery Camel & Nursing Woman.jpg|thumb|Woman on a camel breastfeeding, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
Like [[horse]]s, camels originated in North America and eventually spread across [[Beringia]] to Asia. They survived in the Old World, and eventually humans domesticated them and spread them globally. Along with many other megafauna in North America, the original wild camels were wiped out during the spread of the first [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]] from Asia into North America, 10 to 12,000 years ago; although fossils have never been associated with definitive evidence of hunting.<ref name=worboys10 /><ref name=macphee99 />

Most camels surviving today are domesticated.<ref name=fedewa00>{{cite web | last = Fedewa | first = Jennifer L. | title = Camelus bactrianus | work = Animal Diversity Web | access-date = 4 December 2012 | year = 2000 | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Camelus_bactrianus/ | publisher = University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130526101843/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Camelus_bactrianus/ | archive-date = 26 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name=walker09>{{cite news | last = Walker | first = Matt | title = Wild camels 'genetically unique' | newspaper = Earth News | publisher = BBC | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = 22 July 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151804.stm | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811102443/http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151804.stm | archive-date = 11 August 2011 }}</ref> Although [[feral]] populations exist in [[Australian feral camel|Australia]], India and Kazakhstan, wild camels survive only in the [[wild Bactrian camel]] population of the [[Gobi Desert]].<ref name="nationalgeo-bactrian" />

===History===

When humans first domesticated camels is disputed. Dromedaries may have first been domesticated by humans in [[Somalia]] or [[South Arabia]] sometime during the [[3rd millennium BC]], the Bactrian in [[central Asia]] around 2,500&nbsp;BC,<ref name="mukasa81">{{cite book | publisher = International Livestock Centre for Africa | volume = 5 | last = Mukasa-Mugerwa | first = E. | title = The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius): A Bibliographical Review | location = Ethiopia | series = International Livestock Centre for Africa Monograph | year = 1981 |pages=1, 3, 20–21, 65, 67–68}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World|first=Chris|last=Scarre|date=15 September 1993|isbn=978-1-56458-305-5|page=176|quote=Both the dromedary (the seven-humped camel of Arabia) and the Bactrian camel (the two-humped camel of Central Asia) had been domesticated since before 2000 BC.|publisher=D. Kindersley|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Camel and the Wheel|first=Richard |last=Bulliet |series=Morningside Book Series |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=20 May 1990 |orig-date=1975 |page=183 |isbn=978-0-231-07235-9|quote=As has already been mentioned, this type of utilization [camels pulling wagons] goes back to the earliest known period of two-humped camel domestication in the third millennium B.C.}}—Note that Bulliet has many more references to early use of camels</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&pg=PA120 |title=Near Eastern Archaeology: A Reader |isbn=9781575060835 |access-date=2016-01-08|last1=Richard |first1=Suzanne |year=2003 |publisher=Eisenbrauns }}</ref> as at Shar-i Sokhta (also known as the Burnt City), [[Iran]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hirst|first=K. Kris|title=Camels|url=http://archaeology.about.com/od/cterms/g/camels.htm|work=About.com Archaeology|access-date=6 February 2014|archive-date=5 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105002229/http://archaeology.about.com/od/cterms/g/camels.htm}}</ref> A study from 2016, which genotyped and used world-wide sequencing of modern and ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), suggested that they were initially domesticated in the southeast Arabian Peninsula,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Almathen |first1=Faisal |last2=Charruau |first2=Pauline |last3=Mohandesan |first3=Elmira |last4=Mwacharo |first4=Joram M. |last5=Orozco-terWengel |first5=Pablo |last6=Pitt |first6=Daniel |last7=Abdussamad |first7=Abdussamad M. |last8=Uerpmann |first8=Margarethe |last9=Uerpmann |first9=Hans-Peter |last10=De Cupere |first10=Bea |last11=Magee |first11=Peter |last12=Alnaqeeb |first12=Majed A. |last13=Salim |first13=Bashir |last14=Raziq |first14=Abdul |last15=Dessie |first15=Tadelle |date=2016-06-14 |title=Ancient and modern DNA reveal dynamics of domestication and cross-continental dispersal of the dromedary |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=113 |issue=24 |pages=6707–6712 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1519508113 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=4914195 |pmid=27162355 |bibcode=2016PNAS..113.6707A |doi-access=free }}</ref> with the Bactrian type later being domesticated around Central Asia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ming |first1=Liang |last2=Yuan |first2=Liyun |last3=Yi |first3=Li |last4=Ding |first4=Guohui |last5=Hasi |first5=Surong |last6=Chen |first6=Gangliang |last7=Jambl |first7=Tuyatsetseg |last8=Hedayat-Evright |first8=Nemat |last9=Batmunkh |first9=Mijiddorj |last10=Badmaevna |first10=Garyaeva Khongr |last11=Gan-Erdene |first11=Tudeviin |last12=Ts |first12=Batsukh |last13=Zhang |first13=Wenbin |last14=Zulipikaer |first14=Azhati |last15=Hosblig |date=2020-01-07 |title=Whole-genome sequencing of 128 camels across Asia reveals origin and migration of domestic Bactrian camels |journal=Communications Biology |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1038/s42003-019-0734-6 |pmid=31925316 |pmc=6946651 |issn=2399-3642|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Martin Heide's 2010 work on the domestication of the camel tentatively concludes that humans had domesticated the Bactrian camel by at least the middle of the third millennium somewhere east of the [[Zagros Mountains]], with the practice then moving into Mesopotamia. Heide suggests that mentions of camels "in the patriarchal narratives may refer, at least in some places, to the Bactrian camel", while noting that the camel is not mentioned in relationship to [[Canaan]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Heide | first1 = Martin | year = 2011 | title = The Domestication of the Camel: Biological, Archaeological and Inscriptional Evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel and Arabia, and Literary Evidence from the Hebrew Bible | journal = Ugarit-Forschungen | volume = 42 | pages = 367–68 | doi =10.13140/2.1.2090.8161 }}</ref> Heide and Joris Peters reasserted that conclusion in their 2021 study on the subject.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Camels in the Biblical World |last1=Heide |first1=Martin |publisher=Penn State Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-64602-169-7 |pages=302 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXM5EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT287 |last2=Peters |first2=Joris}}</ref>

In 2009–2013, excavations in the [[Timna Valley]] by Lidar Sapir-Hen and Erez Ben-Yosef discovered what may be the earliest domestic camel bones yet found in Israel or even outside the [[Arabian Peninsula]], dating to around 930&nbsp;BC. This garnered considerable media coverage, as it is strong evidence that the stories of [[Abraham]], [[Jacob]], [[Esau]], and [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] were [[Historicity of the Bible|written after this time]].<ref name=camels>{{cite news|last= Hasson|first= Nir|title= Hump stump solved: Camels arrived in region much later than biblical reference|url= http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/.premium-1.569091|access-date= 30 January 2014|newspaper= Haaretz|date=Jan 17, 2014|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140130113055/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/.premium-1.569091|archive-date= 30 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Sapir-Hen 2013 277–285">{{cite journal|last= Sapir-Hen|first= Lidar|author2= Erez Ben-Yosef|title= The Introduction of Domestic Camels to the Southern Levant: Evidence from the Aravah Valley|journal= Tel Aviv|year= 2013|volume= 40|issue= 2|pages= 277–285|url= http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/ben-yosef/pub/Pub_PDFs/Sapir-Hen&Ben-Yosef13_CamelAravah_TelAviv.pdf |access-date= 16 February 2014|doi= 10.1179/033443513x13753505864089|s2cid= 44282748|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140223011636/http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/ben-yosef/pub/Pub_PDFs/Sapir-Hen%26Ben-Yosef13_CamelAravah_TelAviv.pdf|archive-date=23 February 2014}}</ref>

The existence of camels in Mesopotamia—but not in the eastern Mediterranean lands—is not a new idea. The historian [[Richard Bulliet]] did not think that the occasional mention of camels in the Bible meant that the domestic camels were common in the Holy Land at that time.<ref name=Time>{{cite news|last= Dias|first= Elizabeth|title= The Mystery of the Bible's Phantom Camels|url= http://world.time.com/2014/02/11/the-mystery-of-the-bibles-phantom-camels/|access-date= 22 February 2014|newspaper= Time|date =Feb 11, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140215013057/http://world.time.com/2014/02/11/the-mystery-of-the-bibles-phantom-camels/|archive-date= 15 February 2014}}</ref> The archaeologist [[William F. Albright]], writing even earlier, saw camels in the Bible as an [[anachronism]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Heide | first1 = Martin | year = 2011 | title = The Domestication of the Camel: Biological, Archaeological and Inscriptional Evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel and Arabia, and Literary Evidence from the Hebrew Bible | journal = Ugarit-Forschungen | volume = 42 | page = 368 }}</ref>

The official report by Sapir-Hen and Ben-Joseph says:

<blockquote>The introduction of the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) as a pack animal to the [[southern Levant]] ... substantially facilitated trade across the vast deserts of Arabia, promoting both economic and social change (e.g., Kohler 1984; Borowski 1998: 112–116; Jasmin 2005). This ... has generated extensive discussion regarding the date of the earliest domestic camel in the southern Levant (and beyond) (e.g., Albright 1949: 207; Epstein 1971: 558–584; Bulliet 1975; Zarins 1989; Köhler-Rollefson 1993; Uerpmann and Uerpmann 2002; Jasmin 2005; 2006; Heide 2010; Rosen and Saidel 2010; Grigson 2012). Most scholars today agree that the dromedary was exploited as a pack animal sometime in the early [[Iron Age]] (not before the 12th century [BC])</blockquote>

and concludes:

<blockquote>Current data from copper smelting sites of the [[Aravah Valley]] enable us to pinpoint the introduction of domestic camels to the southern Levant more precisely based on stratigraphic contexts associated with an extensive suite of [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon dates]]. The data indicate that this event occurred not earlier than the last third of the 10th century [BC] and most probably during this time. The coincidence of this event with a major reorganization of the copper industry of the region—attributed to the results of the campaign of Pharaoh [[Shoshenq I]]—raises the possibility that the two were connected, and that camels were introduced as part of the efforts to improve efficiency by facilitating trade.<ref name="Sapir-Hen 2013 277–285"/></blockquote>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Camel cart.JPG|alt= A camel harnessed to a cart loaded with branches and twigs|A camel serving as a [[Working animal|draft animal]] in [[Pakistan]] (2009)
File:A camel with its rider playing kettle drums..jpg|alt= A painting of a man sitting on a camel and playing the drums|A camel in a ceremonial procession, its rider playing [[kettledrum]]s, [[Mughal Empire]] (c. 1840)
File:Negev camel petroglyph.jpg|Petroglyph of a camel, [[Negev]], southern [[Israel]] (prior to c. 5300 BC)
File:Bartholomeus Breenbergh 002.jpg|''Joseph Sells Grain'' by [[Bartholomeus Breenbergh]] (1655), showing camel with rider at left
</gallery>

===Textiles===
{{Main|Camel hair}}

Desert tribes and Mongolian nomads use camel hair for tents, [[yurt]]s, clothing, bedding and accessories. Camels have outer guard hairs and soft inner down, and the fibers may also be sorted by color and age of the animal. The guard hairs can be felted for use as waterproof coats for the herdsmen, while the softer hair is used for premium goods.<ref>{{cite book|url= http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9384e/v9384e05.htm|title= Harvesting of textile animal fibres|last= Petrie|first= OJ|work= FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin No. 122|publisher= Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|date= 1995|isbn= 978-92-5-103759-1|access-date= 14 March 2017|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085646/http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9384e/v9384e05.htm|archive-date= 15 March 2017}}</ref> The fiber can be spun for use in weaving or made into yarns for hand knitting or crochet. Pure camel hair is recorded as being used for [[Western wear|western garments]] from the 17th century onwards, and from the 19th century a mixture of wool and camel hair was used.<ref name="Dictionary of Fashion History">{{cite book|author=Cumming, Valerie |author2=Cunnington, CW |author3=Cunnington, PE |title= The Dictionary of Fashion History|year= 2010|publisher= Bloomsbury|location= Oxford | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=glBf_El4Qd4C |isbn= 9781847887382}}</ref>

===Military uses===
{{Main|Camel cavalry}}
[[File:BSF-Republic day.jpeg|thumb|A special [[Border Security Force|BSF]] [[Border Security Force Camel Band|camel contingent]], [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day Parade]], New Delhi (2004)]]
[[File:Camel corps at Magdhaba.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting of soldiers on camels|''[[Bikaner Camel Corps|Camel Corps]] at [[Battle of Magdhaba|Magdhaba]]'', Egypt, 23 December 1916, by [[Harold Septimus Power]] (1925)]]

By at least 1200&nbsp;BC the first camel saddles had appeared, and [[Bactrian camels]] could be ridden. The first saddle was positioned to the back of the camel, and control of the Bactrian camel was exercised by means of a stick. However, between 500 and 100&nbsp;BC, Bactrian camels came into military use. New saddles, which were inflexible and bent, were put over the humps and divided the rider's weight over the animal. In the seventh century BC the military Arabian saddle evolved, which again improved the saddle design slightly.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last= Fagan|editor-first= Brian M|editor-link= Brian M. Fagan|year= 2004|title= The Seventy Great Inventions of the Ancient World|chapter= Transportation|location= London|publisher= Thames & Hudson|pages= [https://archive.org/details/seventygreatinve0000unse/page/150 150–152]|isbn= 978-0-500-05130-6|chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/seventygreatinve0000unse/page/150}}{{Page needed|date= February 2011}}</ref><!--pagenum inserted based not on access, but on toc pdf http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/exlibris/aleph/a20_1/apache_media/ANYEH2GP3D4Q8URFJ1NSG164SB2NAU.pdf--><ref name="Teller_2012">{{cite magazine| last= Baum| first= Doug| date= 1 November 2018| title= The Art of Saddling a Camel| url= http://www.aramcoworld.com/en-US/Articles/November-2018/The-Art-of-Saddling-A-Camel?page=9| magazine= Saudi Aramco World| access-date= 10 December 2018| archive-date= 10 December 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181210202718/http://www.aramcoworld.com/en-US/Articles/November-2018/The-Art-of-Saddling-A-Camel?page=9| url-status= dead}}</ref>

Military forces have used [[Camel cavalry|camel cavalries]] in wars throughout Africa, the Middle East, and their use continues into the modern-day within the [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) of [[India]]. The first documented use of camel cavalries occurred in the [[Battle of Qarqar]] in 853&nbsp;BC.<ref name=gabriel07>{{cite book | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | isbn = 9780313333484 | last = Gabriel | first = Richard A. | title = Soldiers' Lives Through History: The Ancient World | year = 2007 |page= xvi }}</ref><ref name=bhatia12>{{cite news | last = Bhatia | first = Vimal | title = BSF to ditch camels to ride sand scooters | work = The Times of India | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = 23 July 2012 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BSF-to-ditch-camels-to-ride-sand-scooters/articleshow/15099086.cms | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120723172835/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BSF-to-ditch-camels-to-ride-sand-scooters/articleshow/15099086.cms | archive-date = 23 July 2012 }}</ref><ref name=gann72>{{cite book | publisher = University Press of America | isbn = 9780761815204 | last1 = Gann | first1 = Lewis Henry | first2 = Peter | last2 = Duignan | title = Africa and the World: An Introduction to the History of Sub-Saharan Africa from Antiquity to 1840 | year = 1972 | page = [https://archive.org/details/africaworldintro00gann/page/156 156] | quote = The camel was acclimatized in Egypt long before the time of Christ and was subsequently adopted by the Berbers of the desert, who used camel cavalry to fight the Romans. The Berbers spread the use of the camel across the Sahara. | url = https://archive.org/details/africaworldintro00gann/page/156 }}</ref> Armies have also used camels as freight animals instead of horses and mules.<ref name=fleming09>{{cite news | issn = 0161-7370 | volume = 74 | issue = 8 | publisher = Bonnier Corporation | first = Walter L. | last = Fleming | title = Jefferson Davis's Camel Experiment | work = The Popular Science Monthly | date = February 1909 | page = 150 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DyADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA150 | quote = Other trials of the camel were made in 1859 by Major D. H. Vinton, who used twenty-four of them in carrying burdens for a surveying party...All in all, he concluded, the camel was much superior to the mule. | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160504180151/https://books.google.com/books?id=DyADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA150 | archive-date = 2016-05-04 }}</ref><ref name=mantz06>{{cite book | publisher = Heritage House Publishing Co | isbn = 9781894384018 | pages = 51–54 | editor-first = Garnet | editor-last = Basque | last = Mantz | first = John | title = Frontier Days in British Columbia | chapter = Camels in the Cariboo | date = 20 April 2006 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fecJGyNKtwoC&pg=PA51 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160624015054/https://books.google.com/books?id=fecJGyNKtwoC&pg=PA51 | archive-date = 24 June 2016 }}</ref>

The [[East Roman Empire]] used [[Auxiliaries (Roman military)|auxiliary]] forces known as ''[[dromedarii]]'', whom the Romans recruited in desert provinces.<ref name=southern07>{{cite book | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 9780195328783 | last = Southern | first = Pat | title = The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History | date = 1 October 2007 | page = [https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/123 123] | url = https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/123 }}</ref><ref name=nicolle91>{{cite book | edition = illustrated, reprint | publisher = Osprey Publishing | isbn = 9781855321663 | volume = 5 | last = Nicolle | first = David | title = The Desert Frontier | series = Rome's Enemies | date = 26 March 1991 |page= 4 |quote= Nevertheless the military prowess of desert peoples impressed the Romans, who recruited large numbers as auxiliary cavalry and archers. In addition to providing the Roman Army with its best archers, the Easterners (largely Arabs but generally known as 'Syrians') served as Rome's most effective ''dromedarii'' or camel-mounted troops.}}</ref> The camels were used mostly in combat because of their ability to scare off horses at close range (horses are afraid of the camels' scent),<ref name=sandiegozoo /> a quality famously employed by the [[Achaemenid]] Persians when fighting [[Lydia]] in the [[Battle of Thymbra]] (547&nbsp;BC).<ref name=potts/><ref name=herodotus>{{cite book | author = Herodotus |date=440 | translator-last1= Rawlinson |translator-first1=George |via=The Internet Classics Archive | title = The History of Herodotus | access-date = 4 December 2012 | url = http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html | quote = He collected together all the camels that had come in the train of his army to carry the provisions and the baggage, and taking off their loads, he mounted riders upon them accoutred as horsemen. These he commanded to advance in front of his other troops against the Lydian horse; behind them were to follow the foot soldiers, and last of all the cavalry. When his arrangements were complete, he gave his troops orders to slay all the other Lydians who came in their way without mercy, but to spare Croesus and not kill him, even if he should be seized and offer resistance. The reason why Cyrus opposed his camels to the enemy's horse was because the horse has a natural dread of the camel, and cannot abide either the sight or the smell of that animal. By this stratagem he hoped to make Croesus's horse useless to him, the horse being what he chiefly depended on for victory. The two armies then joined battle, and immediately the Lydian war-horses, seeing and smelling the camels, turned round and galloped off; and so it came to pass that all Croesus's hopes withered away. | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121201230133/http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html | archive-date = 1 December 2012 }}</ref><ref name="historygroup-nz">{{cite web | publisher = History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage | title = Cameliers and camels at war | work = New Zealand History online | access-date = 5 December 2012 | date = 30 August 2009 | url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316110701/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | archive-date = 16 March 2012 }}</ref>

====19th and 20th centuries====
[[File:Camels on the way to Catalca, 1912.jpg|thumb|alt= A photo of Bulgarian military-transport camels in 1912|A [[camel train|camel caravan]] of the [[Military of Bulgaria|Bulgarian military]] during the [[First Balkan War]], 1912]]

The [[United States Army]] established the [[U.S. Camel Corps]], stationed in [[California]], in the 19th century.<ref name=sandiegozoo /> One may still see stables at the [[Benicia Arsenal]] in [[Benicia, California]], where they nowadays serve as the Benicia Historical Museum.<ref name="military-museum">{{cite web | publisher = The California State Military Museum | title = The Posts at Benicia | access-date = 4 December 2012 | url = http://www.militarymuseum.org/Benicia.html | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120928195539/http://www.militarymuseum.org/Benicia.html | archive-date = 28 September 2012 }}</ref> Though the experimental use of camels was seen as a success ([[John B. Floyd]], [[Secretary of War]] in 1858, recommended that funds be allocated towards obtaining a thousand more camels), the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]] in 1861 saw the end of the Camel Corps: Texas became part of the Confederacy, and most of the camels were left to wander away into the desert.<ref name=mantz06 />

France created a ''[[méhariste]]'' camel corps in 1912 as part of the [[Army of Africa (France)|Armée d'Afrique]] in the Sahara<ref name="musee-de-l">{{cite web | publisher = Musée de l'infanterie | title = Vitrine N° 108 (partie droite): LES PELOTONS MEHARISTES | access-date = 5 December 2012 | url = http://www.musee-infanterie.com/vitrine/114-vitrine-n-108-partie-droite--les-pelotons-meharistes | language = fr | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130526202745/http://www.musee-infanterie.com/vitrine/114-vitrine-n-108-partie-droite--les-pelotons-meharistes | archive-date = 26 May 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> in order to exercise greater control over the camel-riding [[Tuareg]] and Arab insurgents, as previous efforts to defeat them on foot had failed.<ref name=brucehall>{{cite book | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 9781107002876 | last = Hall | first = Bruce S. | title = A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600–1960 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyracemusli00hall | url-access = limited | date = 6 June 2011 |page = [https://archive.org/details/historyracemusli00hall/page/n162 143]}}</ref> The [[Free French Camel Corps]] fought during [[World War II]], and camel-mounted units remained in service until the end of French rule over Algeria in 1962.<ref name=guillaume12>{{cite news|last= Guillaume |first= Philippe |title= L'incroyable épopée des méharistes français |trans-title=The incredible epic of the French méharistes |newspaper= BDSphère |access-date= 5 December 2012 |date= 16 June 2012 |url= http://www.bdsphere.fr/2012/06/16/lincroyable-epopee-des-meharistes-francais/ |language= fr |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130522103746/http://www.bdsphere.fr/2012/06/16/lincroyable-epopee-des-meharistes-francais/ |archive-date= 22 May 2013 }}</ref>

In 1916, the British created the [[Imperial Camel Corps]]. It was originally used to fight the [[Senussi]], but was later used in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] in [[World War I]]. The Imperial Camel Corps comprised infantrymen mounted on camels for movement across desert, though they dismounted at battle sites and fought on foot. After July 1918, the Corps began to become run down, receiving no new reinforcements, and was formally disbanded in 1919.<ref name="historygroup-nz-pages">{{cite web | publisher = History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage | title = Cameliers and camels at war | work = New Zealand History online | access-date = 5 December 2012 | date = 30 August 2009 | url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | pages = 1, 2, 4, 5 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316110701/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | archive-date = 16 March 2012 }}</ref>

In World War I, the British Army also created the [[Egyptian Camel Transport Corps]], which consisted of a group of Egyptian camel drivers and their camels. The Corps supported British war operations in [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], Palestine, and Syria by transporting supplies to the troops.<ref name=woodward06 >{{cite book | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | isbn = 9780813123837 | last = Woodward | first = David R. | title = Hell in the Holy Land: World War I in the Middle East | url = https://archive.org/details/hellholylandworl00wood | url-access = limited | year = 2006 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/hellholylandworl00wood/page/n50 36], 39, 43, 56, 133}}</ref><ref name=murray20>{{cite book | publisher = J.M. Dent | last = Murray | first = Archibald James | title = Sir Archibald Murray's despatches (June 1916 – June 1917) | year = 1920 | url = https://archive.org/details/sirarchibaldmur00murrgoog | page = [https://archive.org/details/sirarchibaldmur00murrgoog/page/n155 123] | quote = A great deal of the work of supplying the troops on both fronts has been done by the Camel Transport Corps }}</ref><ref name=mcgregor06>{{cite book | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | isbn = 9780275986018 | last = McGregor | first = Andrew James | title = A Military History of Modern Egypt: From the Ottoman Conquest to the Ramadan War | date = 30 May 2006 | page = [https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00andr/page/215 215] | url = https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00andr/page/215 }}</ref>

The [[Somaliland Camel Corps]] was created by colonial authorities in [[British Somaliland]] in 1912; it was disbanded in 1944.<ref name=fedresearchdiv04>{{cite book| edition = 3rd| publisher = Kessinger Publishing| isbn = 9781419147999| author = Federal Research Division| title = Somalia a Country Study| series = Area handbook series| date = 30 June 2004 | pages = 230–231}}</ref>

Bactrian camels were used by Romanian forces during [[World War II]] in the Caucasian region.<ref name="wwii-color">{{cite web|url=http://www.ww2incolor.com/Romanian+Forces/F_32844_l.html|title=Romanian troops using camels|work=WWII in Color|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054749/http://www.ww2incolor.com/Romanian+Forces/F_32844_l.html|archive-date=2013-09-21}}</ref> At the same period the Soviet units operating around [[Astrakhan]] in 1942 adopted local camels as draft animals due to shortage of trucks and horses, and kept them even after moving out of the area. Despite severe losses, some of these camels ended up as far west as to [[Battle of Berlin|Berlin itself]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://warhead.su/2020/03/02/nash-sovetskiy-verblyud-pokaraet|title=Наш советский верблюд покарает!|date=March 2, 2020|website=WARHEAD.SU|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319171527/https://warhead.su/2020/03/02/nash-sovetskiy-verblyud-pokaraet|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Bikaner Camel Corps]] of [[British India]] fought alongside the [[British Indian Army]] in World Wars I and II.<ref name=indianetzone>{{cite news <!--cite web--> | last = Jupiter Infomedia Ltd| title = Bikaner Camel Corps, Presidency Armies in British India| work = IndiaNetzone| date = 28 November 2012<!--| access-date = 1 January 2015| url = http://www.indianetzone.com/64/bikaner_camel_corps.htm-->}}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The ''[[Tropas Nómadas]]'' (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment of [[Sahrawi people|Sahrawi]] tribesmen serving in the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today [[Western Sahara]]). Operational from the 1930s until the end of the Spanish presence in the territory in 1975, the ''Tropas Nómadas'' were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish officers. The unit guarded outposts and sometimes conducted patrols on camelback.<!--Mainly info from "Tropas Nómadas" Wikipedia page, some info confirmed by the following references--><ref name=shelley07>{{cite journal| last = Shelley| first = Toby| title = Sons of the Clouds| journal = Red Pepper| access-date = 6 December 2012| date = December 2007| url = http://www.redpepper.org.uk/sons-of-the-clouds/| location = Location| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130520202141/http://www.redpepper.org.uk/sons-of-the-clouds/| archive-date = 20 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=hermandad>{{cite web|author=Hermandad de Veteranos Tropas Nómadas del Sáhara |work=Historia: Agrupación de Tropas Nómadas |title=Los Medios |trans-title=The Means |access-date=6 December 2012 |url=http://hermandadtropasnomadas.com/historia2-11.html |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055249/http://hermandadtropasnomadas.com/historia2-11.html |archive-date=21 September 2013 }}</ref>

====21st century competition====
The annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is held in Saudi Arabia. In addition to camel racing and camel milk tasting, the festival holds a camel "[[beauty pageant]]" with prize money of $57m (£40m). In 2018, 12 camels were disqualified from the beauty contest after their owners were found to have injected them with [[botox]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42802901 |title=Camels banned from Saudi beauty contest over Botox |work=BBC News |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=26 August 2021 }}</ref> In a similar incident in 2021, over 40 camels were disqualified.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Abigail |title=Over 40 Camels Disqualified From Beauty Contest in Saudi Arabia For Receiving Botox Injections |url=https://people.com/pets/over-40-camels-disqualified-from-beauty-contest-for-botox/ |work=PEOPLE.com |date=9 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

===Food uses===
Camel meat and milk are foods that are found in many cuisines, typically in [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]], [[North African cuisine|North African]] and some [[Australian cuisine]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.windyhills.com.au/wild-camel/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822210603/http://windyhills.com.au/wild-camel/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 22, 2016 | title=Wild Camel – Windy Hills }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-07/camel-meat-halal-butcher-sold-here/6663716 | title=Australians urged to develop taste for camel meat | newspaper=ABC News | date=6 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/are-there-camels-in-australia | title=Australia's Growing Camel Meat Trade Reveals a Hidden History of Early Muslim Migrants | date=16 May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.samex.com.au/our-products/camel/ | title=SAMEX : Australian Meat Exporters }}</ref>

====Dairy====
{{Main|Camel milk}}
[[File:Khan al-Lajjun.jpg|right|thumb|Camels at the Khan and old bridge, [[Lajjun]], [[Ottoman Syria]] (now in [[Israel]]) - 1870s drawing]]
[[File:Camelcalf-feeding.jpg|right|thumb|A camel calf nursing on [[camel milk]]]]

Camel milk is a [[staple food]] of desert nomad tribes and is sometimes considered a meal itself; a nomad can live on only camel milk for almost a month.<ref name=sandiegozoo /><ref name=davidson06 /><ref name=bulliet75>{{cite book | publisher = Columbia University Press | isbn = 9780231072359 | last = Bulliet | first = Richard W. | title = The Camel and the Wheel | url = https://archive.org/details/camelwheel0000bull | url-access = registration | year = 1975 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/camelwheel0000bull/page/23 23], 25, 28, 35–36, 38–40}}</ref><ref name=fao12>{{cite web| publisher = FAO's Animal Production and Health Division| title = Camel Milk| work = Milk & Dairy Products| access-date = 6 December 2012| date = 25 September 2012| url = http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAInfo/themes/en/dairy/camel.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121101015011/http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAInfo/themes/en/dairy/camel.html| archive-date = 1 November 2012}}</ref>

Camel milk can readily be made into [[yogurt]], but can only be made into [[butter]] if it is soured first, churned, and a [[clarifying agent]] is then added.<ref name=sandiegozoo /> Until recently, camel milk could not be made into [[camel milk|camel cheese]] because [[rennet]] was unable to coagulate the milk proteins to allow the collection of [[curd]]s.<ref name="ramet-making">{{cite book|title=Camel milk and cheese making|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/T0755E/t0755e02.htm|last=Ramet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624013724/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0755e/t0755e02.htm|archive-date=2012-06-24}}</ref> Developing less wasteful uses of the milk, the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] commissioned Professor J.P. Ramet of the [[École Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires]], who was able to produce curdling by the addition of [[calcium phosphate]] and vegetable rennet in the 1990s.<ref name=fao06>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/highlights/2001/010701-e.htm|title=Fresh from your local drome'dairy'?|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization|date=6 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126122946/http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/highlights/2001/010701-e.htm|archive-date=26 January 2012}}</ref> The cheese produced from this process has low levels of cholesterol and is easy to digest, even for the lactose intolerant.<ref name="ramet-processing">{{cite book|title=Methods of processing camel milk into cheese|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/T0755E/t0755e04.htm|last=Ramet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624013729/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0755e/t0755e04.htm|archive-date=2012-06-24}}</ref><ref name=young>{{cite web| last = Young| first = Philippa| title = In Mongolian the Word 'Gobi' Means 'Desert'| access-date = 6 December 2012| url = http://philippayoung.com/?tag=camelcheese&page=2| quote = As evening approaches we are offered camel meat boats, dumplings stuffed with a finely chopped mixture of meat and vegetables, followed by camel milk tea and finally, warm fresh camel's milk to aid digestion and help us sleep.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130303111456/http://philippayoung.com/?tag=camelcheese&page=2| archive-date = 3 March 2013}}</ref>

Camel milk can also be made into [[ice cream]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15589766 |title=Netherlands' 'crazy' camel farmer |publisher=BBC |date=5 November 2011 |access-date=7 November 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106232703/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15589766 |archive-date=6 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/al-ain-dairy-launches-camel-milk-ice-cream-1.637218|title=Al Ain Dairy launches camel-milk ice cream|website=The National|date=26 March 2015|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

====Meat====
{{anchor|Camel meat}}
[[File:Somalicamelmeat.jpg|thumb|A [[Somali people|Somali]] camel meat and rice dish]]
[[File:Cholistani Camel Meat Pulao.JPG|thumb|Camel meat [[Pilaf|pulao]], from Pakistan]]
Camels provide food in the form of meat and milk.<ref>Tariq, M., Rabia, R., Jamil, A., Sakhwat, A., Aadil, A., & Muhammad S., 2010. Minerals and Nutritional Composition of Camel (Camelus Dromedarius) Meat in Pakistan. Journal- Chemical Society of Pakistan, Vol 33(6).</ref> Approximately 3.3 million camels and camelids are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL|title=FAOSTAT|website=www.fao.org|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> A camel carcass can provide a substantial amount of meat. The male dromedary carcass can weigh {{convert|300|–|400|kg|lb|0|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}, while the carcass of a male Bactrian can weigh up to {{convert|650|kg|lb|0|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}. The carcass of a female dromedary weighs less than the male, ranging between {{convert|250|and|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=mukasa81 /> The brisket, ribs and loin are among the preferred parts, and the hump is considered a delicacy.<ref name="yagil-camelother">{{cite book|title=Camels Products Other Than Milk|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/X6528E/X6528E06.htm|last=Yagil|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220185807/http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6528E/X6528E06.htm|archive-date=2011-02-20}}</ref> The hump contains "white and sickly fat", which can be used to make the ''khli'' (preserved meat) of mutton, beef, or camel.<ref name=madame03>{{cite book|title=Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Recipes from Fez|author=Madame Guinaudeau|publisher=Serif|location=London|year=2003|isbn=978-1-897959-43-5}}</ref> On the other hand, camel milk and meat are rich in protein, vitamins, glycogen, and other nutrients making them essential in the diet of many people. From chemical composition to meat quality, the dromedary camel is the preferred breed for meat production. It does well even in arid areas due to its unusual physiological behaviors and characteristics, which include tolerance to extreme temperatures, radiation from the sun, water paucity, rugged landscape and low vegetation.<ref>Aleme, A., D., 2013. A Review of Camel Meat as a Precious Source of Nutrition in some part of Ethiopia. Agricultural Science, Engineering and Technology Research. Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2013, PP: 40–43. Available online at {{cite web|url=http://asetr.org/ |title=Agricultural Science, Engineering and Technology Research |access-date=2016-12-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203133425/http://asetr.org/ |archive-date=2016-12-03}}.</ref> Camel meat is reported to taste like coarse beef, but older camels can prove to be very tough,<ref name=camello /><ref name=mukasa81 /> although camel meat becomes tenderer the more it is cooked.<ref name=rubenstein10>{{cite news| last = Rubenstein| first = Dustin| title = How to Cook Camel| newspaper = The New York Times| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 23 July 2010| url = http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/how-to-cook-camel/| quote = He cut the pieces very small and cooked them for a long time. I decided to try something a bit different the following night and cut the pieces a bit bigger and cooked them for less time, as I like my meat rarer than he does. This was a bad idea. It seems that the more you cook camel, the more tender it becomes. So we had what amounted to two pounds or more of rubber for dinner that night.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121019192428/http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/how-to-cook-camel/| archive-date = 19 October 2012}}</ref>

Camel is one of the animals that can be ritually slaughtered and divided into three portions (one for the home, one for extended family/social networks, and one for those who cannot afford to slaughter an animal themselves) for the [[Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)|qurban]] of [[Eid al-Adha]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-01 |title=Eid al-Adha: More than just slaughtering animals |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2017/09/01/eid-al-adha-more-than-just-slaughtering-animals |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=Daily Sabah}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qurbani Meat Distribution Rules |url=https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious-dues/qurbani/qurbani-rules/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=Muslim Aid |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Abu Dhabi]] Officers' Club serves a camel burger mixed with beef or lamb fat in order to improve the texture and taste.<ref name="arthur12">{{cite news| last = Arthur| first = Rick| title = The Instant Expert: camels, the ships of the desert| newspaper = The National| date = 4 January 2012 | location=UAE|publisher=Abu Dhabi Media|quote=As the meat can be dry, however, the Abu Dhabi Officer's Club, for one, serves camel burger with beef or lamb fat mixed in, improving texture and taste.}}</ref> In [[Karachi, Pakistan]], some restaurants prepare [[nihari]] from camel meat.<ref name="jasra00">{{cite book| publisher = The Camel Applied Research and Development Network| last1 = Jasra| first1 = Abdel Wahid| first2 = G. B.| last2 = Isani| author3 = Camel Applied Research and Development Network| title = Socio-economics of camel herders in Pakistan| year = 2000| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aRRJAAAAYAAJ&q=nihari+camel+pakistan| page = 164| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160610122525/https://books.google.com/books?id=aRRJAAAAYAAJ&q=nihari+camel+pakistan&dq=nihari+camel+pakistan| archive-date = 2016-06-10}}</ref> Specialist camel butchers provide expert cuts, with the hump considered the most popular.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/16/camel-meat-one-hump-two Anyone for camel meat? One hump or two?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126234058/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/16/camel-meat-one-hump-two |date=2017-01-26 }}[[The Guardian]], Word of Mouth</ref>

Camel meat has been eaten for centuries. It has been recorded by [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] writers as an available dish at banquets in ancient [[Persia]], usually roasted whole.<ref name=sherwood12 /> The [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] emperor [[Elagabalus|Heliogabalus]] enjoyed camel's heel.<ref name=davidson06>{{cite book| edition = 2nd| publisher = Oxford University Press, US| isbn = 978-0192806819| last1 = Davidson| first1 = Alan| first2 = Jane|last2= Davidson| editor-first = Tom |editor-last = Jaine| title = The Oxford Companion to Food| date = 15 October 2006 | pages=68, 129, 266, 762}}</ref> Camel meat is mainly eaten in certain regions, including [[Eritrea]], [[Somalia]], [[Djibouti]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], [[Libya]], [[Sudan]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and other arid regions where alternative forms of protein may be limited or where camel meat has had a long cultural history.<ref name=mukasa81 /><ref name=davidson06 /><ref name="yagil-camelother" /> Camel blood is also consumable, as is the case among pastoralists in northern [[Kenya]], where camel blood is drunk with milk and acts as a key source of [[iron]], [[vitamin D]], salts and minerals.<ref name=mukasa81 /><ref name="yagil-camelother" /><ref name=cnn10>{{cite news| last = Webster| first = George| title = Dubai diners flock to eat new 'camel burger'| work = CNN World| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 9 February 2010| url = http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/09/camel.burgers.dubai/index.html| publisher = CNN| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130929093119/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/09/camel.burgers.dubai/index.html| archive-date = 29 September 2013}}</ref>

A 2005 report issued jointly by the Saudi [[Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia)|Ministry of Health]] and the United States [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] details four cases of human [[bubonic plague]] resulting from the ingestion of raw camel liver.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Abdulaziz A. |last1=Bin Saeed |first2=Nasser A. |last2=Al-Hamdan |first3=Robert E. |last3=Fontaine |title=Plague from eating raw camel liver|pmid=16229781 |year=2005 |pages=1456–7 |issue=9 |volume=11 |journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases |pmc=3310619 |doi=10.3201/eid1109.050081}}</ref>

Camel meat is also occasionally found in [[Australian cuisine]]: for example, a camel [[lasagna]] is available in [[Alice Springs]].<ref name=sherwood12>{{cite news| last = Sherwood| first = Andy| title = Camel burgers in Abu Dhabi| work = Time Out Abu Dhabi| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 17 September 2012| url = http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/restaurants/features/35060-camel-burgers-in-abu-dhabi/page/2#.UMIy67ZjyFA| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130927194204/http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/restaurants/features/35060-camel-burgers-in-abu-dhabi/page/2#.UMIy67ZjyFA| archive-date = 27 September 2013}}</ref><ref name=cnn10 /> Australia has exported camel meat, primarily to the [[Middle East]] but also to Europe and the US, for many years.<ref>{{cite web | last=McBride | first=Louise | title=SA hits world camel meat supply hump | website=Stock Journal | date=14 June 2010 | url=http://www.stockjournal.com.au/story/3652303/sa-hits-world-camel-meat-supply-hump/ | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> The meat is very popular among [[African Australians|East African Australians]], such as [[Somalis]], and other Australians have also been buying it. The feral nature of the animals means they produce a different type of meat to farmed camels in other parts of the world,<ref ">{{cite news | last=Burin | first=Margaret | title=Australians urged to develop taste for camel meat | website=ABC News | date=7 August 2015 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-07/camel-meat-halal-butcher-sold-here/6663716 | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> and it is sought after because it is disease-free, and a unique genetic group. Demand is outstripping supply, and governments are being urged not to cull the camels, but redirect the cost of the cull into developing the market. Australia has seven camel dairies, which produce milk, cheese and skincare products in addition to meat.<ref name=landline>{{cite news | first=Halina |last=Bazckowski | title=The beasts that beat the drought: Camels sought after for meat, milk and cheese | website=ABC News | date=22 March 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-22/camel-meat-and-dairy-sought-after-internationally/12070310 | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref>

===Religion===

====Islam====
{{main|Animals in Islam}}
[[Muslims]] consider camel meat ''[[halal]]'' ({{langx|ar|حلال}}, 'allowed'). However, according to some [[Islamic schools and branches|Islamic schools of thought]], a state of impurity is brought on by the consumption of it. Consequently, these schools hold that Muslims must perform ''[[wudhu]]'' (ablution) before the next time they [[Salat|pray]] after eating camel meat.<ref name="purification">{{cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/abudawud/001.sat.html#001.0184|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716145540/http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/abudawud/001.sat.html#001.0184|archive-date=16 July 2011|series=Partial Translation of [[Sunan Abu-Dawud]], Book 1|work=Purification (Kitab al-Taharah)|title= Book 1, Number 0184|publisher= Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement|quote=Narrated [[Al-Bara' ibn Azib]]: The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was asked about performing ablution after eating the flesh of the camel. He replied: Perform ablution, after eating it. He was asked about performing ablution after eating meat. He replied: Do not perform ablution after eating it. He was asked about saying prayer in places where the camels lie down. He replied: Do not offer prayer in places where the camels lie down. These are the places of Satan. He was asked about saying prayer in the sheepfolds. He replied: You may offer prayer in such places; these are the places of blessing.}}</ref> Also, some Islamic schools of thought consider it ''[[haram]]'' ({{langx|ar|حرام}}, 'forbidden') for a Muslim to perform ''[[Salat]]'' in places where camels lie, as it is said to be a dwelling place of the ''[[Devil (Islam)|Shaytan]]'' ({{langx|ar|شيطان}}, '[[Devil]]').<ref name="purification"/> According to [[Abu Yusuf]] (d.798), the [[camel urine|urine of camels]] may be used for medical treatment if necessary, but according to [[Abū Ḥanīfa]]h, the drinking of camel urine is discouraged.<ref name="alden">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=John Alden|title=The Word of Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAj-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|access-date=25 October 2016|year=1994|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-79076-6|page=98|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408182755/https://books.google.com/books?id=rAj-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|archive-date=8 April 2017}}</ref>

Islamic texts contain several stories featuring camels. In the story of the people of [[Thamud]], the prophet [[Salih]] miraculously brings forth a ''[[She-Camel of God|naqat]]'' ({{langx|ar|ناقة}}, '[[milch-camel]]') out of a rock. After [[Muhammad]] migrated from [[Mecca]] to [[Medina]] (the [[Hijrah]]), he allowed [[Qaswa|his she-camel]] to roam there; the location where the camel stopped to rest determined the location where he would build his house in Medina.<ref>Campo, Juan Eduardo (2009). ''Encyclopedia of Islam''. [[Infobase Publishing]]. p. 128.</ref>

====Judaism====
{{see also|Food and drink prohibitions}}

According to [[Jewish]] tradition, camel meat and milk are not [[kosher]].<ref name=heinemen>{{cite web| last = Heinemann| first = Moshe| publisher = Star-K| title = Cholov Yisroel: Does a Neshama Good| work = Kashrus Kurrents| access-date = 4 May 2017| url = http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/1179/cholov-yisroel-does-a-neshama-good/| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170430215725/http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/1179/cholov-yisroel-does-a-neshama-good/| archive-date = 30 April 2017| date = 2013-08-20}}</ref> Camels possess only one of the two [[kosher foods|kosher criteria]]; although they [[Ruminant|chew their cud]], they do not have [[Cloven hoof|cloven hooves]]: "But these you shall not eat among those that bring up the cud and those that have a cloven hoof: the camel, because it brings up its cud, but does not have a [completely] cloven hoof; it is unclean for you."<ref>
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9912#v=41 {{webarchive
 |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150207151838/http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9912
 |date= 2015-02-07
}}
</ref>

The Palestinian Muslim [[Makhamra family|Makhamara clan]] in [[Yatta, Hebron|Yatta]], who claim descent from Jews, reportedly avoid eating camel meat, a practice cited as evidence of their Jewish origins.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Ben-Zvi |first=Itzhak |title=שאר ישוב: מאמרים ופרקים בדברי ימי הישוב העברי בא"י ובחקר המולדת |publisher=none |year=1967 |location=תל אביב תרפ"ז |pages=407–413 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=She'ar Yeshuv |author-link=Yitzhak Ben-Zvi}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{Cite web |last=Sar-Avi |first=Doron |date=2019 |title=מניין באו הערבים 'היהודים'? |url=https://segulamag.com/articles/%d7%9e%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%91%d7%90%d7%95-%d7%94%d7%a2%d7%a8%d7%91%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%94%d7%95%d7%93%d7%99%d7%9d/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=Segula Magazine}}</ref>

===Cultural depictions===
What may be the oldest carvings of camels were discovered in 2018 in Saudi Arabia. They were analysed by researchers from several scientific disciplines and, in 2021, were estimated to be 7,000 to 8,000 years old.<ref>''[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259 Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101210500/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259 |date=2022-11-01 }}'', BBC, September 15, 2021</ref> The dating of [[rock art]] is made difficult by the lack of organic material in the carvings that may be tested, so the researchers attempting to date them tested animal bones found associated with the carvings, assessed erosion patterns, and analysed tool marks in order to determine a correct date for the creation of the sculptures. This [[Neolithic]] dating would make the carvings significantly older than Stonehenge (5,000 years old) and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza (4,500 years old) and it predates estimates for the domestication of camels.

<gallery widths="180" heights="220">
File:Shadda (detail), Karabagh region, southwest Caucasus.jpeg|Shadda (cover,detail), Karabagh region, southwest Caucasus, early 19th century
File:Vessel in the Form of a Recumbent Camel with Jugs, 2015.65.15.jpg|Vessel in the form of a recumbent camel with jugs, 250 BC – 224 AD, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Brooklyn Museum - Maru Ragini (Dhola and Maru riding on a Camel).jpg|''Maru Ragini'' (''Dhola and Maru Riding on a Camel)'', c. 1750, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Brooklyn Museum - The Magi Journeying (Les rois mages en voyage) - James Tissot - overall.jpg|''The Magi Journeying'' (''Les rois mages en voyage'')—James Tissot, c. 1886, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:KiplingCamel3.gif|''How the Camel Got His Hump'' (From [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[Just So Stories]]'')
</gallery>

==Distribution and numbers==

[[File:GueltaCamels.jpg|thumb|alt=A view into a canyon: many camels gathering around a watering hole|Camels in the [[Guelta d'Archei]], in northeastern [[Chad]]]]

There are approximately 14 million camels alive {{as of|2010|lc=yes}}, with 90% being dromedaries.<ref name=dolby10 /> Dromedaries alive today are [[List of domesticated animals|domesticated animals]] (mostly living in the [[Horn of Africa]], the [[Sahel]], [[Maghreb]], [[Middle East]] and [[South Asia]]). The Horn region alone has the largest concentration of camels in the world,<ref name="Bernstein">{{cite book|first=William J.|last=Bernstein|title=A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World|publisher=Grove Press|year=2009|page=56|isbn=9780802144164}}</ref> where the dromedaries constitute an [[Nomadic pastoralism|important part of local nomadic life]]. They provide nomadic people in Somalia<ref name=mukasa81 /> and Ethiopia with milk, food, and transportation.<ref name=fao12 /><ref name=abokor87>{{cite book| publisher = Nordic Africa Institute| isbn = 9789171062697| last = Abokor| first = Axmed Cali| title = The Camel in Somali Oral Tradition| year = 1987 |pages=7, 10–11}}</ref><ref name=un03>{{cite web| title = Drought threatening Somali nomads, UN humanitarian office says| work = UN News Centre| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 14 November 2003| url = https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8894&Cr=somalia&Cr1=| quote = A four-year drought is threatening the lives of Somali nomads, and those of the camel herds on which they depend for transportation and milk| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111119005808/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8894&Cr=somalia&Cr1=| archive-date = 19 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=farah04>{{cite journal| volume = 6| issue = 1| pages = 45–55| last1 = Farah| first1 = K. O.| first2 = D. M. |last2=Nyariki|first3= R. K. |last3=Ngugi|first4=I. M.|last4=Noor|first5=A. Y.|last5=Guliye| title = The Somali and the Camel: Ecology, Management and Economics| journal = Anthropologist| year = 2004|quote=Somali pastoralists are a camel community...There is no other community in the world where the camel plays such a pivotal role in the local economy and culture as in the Somali community. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 1979) estimates, there are approximately 15 million dromedary camels in the world| doi = 10.1080/09720073.2004.11890828| s2cid = 4980638}} [http://www.mbali.info/doc265.htm Plain text version.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102084140/http://www.mbali.info/doc265.htm |date=2013-01-02 }}</ref>

[[File:800px-2003camel.PNG|thumb|left|upright=1.35|alt=A world map with large camel populations marked|Commercial camel market headcount in 2003]]

Over one million dromedary camels are estimated to be [[Australian feral camel|feral in Australia]], descended from those introduced as a method of transport in the 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name=NTgov>{{cite web|title=Feral camel|url=https://nt.gov.au/environment/animals/feral-animals/feral-camel|date=17 August 2015|access-date=10 March 2022|publisher=Northern Territory government}}</ref> This population is growing about 8% per year;<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Pople | first1 = A. R. | last2 = McLeod | first2 = S. R. | doi = 10.1071/RJ09053 | title = Demography of feral camels in central Australia and its relevance to population control | journal = The Rangeland Journal | volume = 32 | page = 11 | year = 2010 | s2cid = 83822347 | url = http://era.daf.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/1736/ |via=DAF eResearch Archive |s2cid-access=free |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329050756/https://era.daf.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/1736/ |archive-date= Mar 29, 2024 }}</ref> it was estimated at 700,000 in 2008.<ref name=cnn10 /><ref name=dolby10 /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Saalfeld |first1=W.K. |last2=Edwards |first2=GP |issn=1832-6684 |year=2008 |title=Managing the impacts of feral camels in Australia: a new way of doing business |chapter=Ecology of feral camels in Australia |id=Report 47 |publisher=Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre |location=Alice Springs |isbn=978-1-74158-094-5 |chapter-url=http://www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au/resource/DKCRC-Report-47-Managing-the-impacts-of-feral-camels-in-Australia_A-new-way-of-doing-business.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329053749/http://www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au/resource/DKCRC-Report-47-Managing-the-impacts-of-feral-camels-in-Australia_A-new-way-of-doing-business.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-29 |access-date=2011-12-25 }}</ref> Representatives of the Australian government have culled more than 100,000 of the animals in part because the camels use too much of the limited resources needed by sheep farmers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tsai |first=Vivian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011072811/http://www.ibtimes.com/australia-culls-100000-feral-camels-limit-environmental-damage-many-more-will-be-killed-789326 |archive-date=11 October 2012 |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/australia-culls-100000-feral-camels-limit-environmental-damage-many-more-will-be-killed-789326 |title=Australia Culls 100,000 Feral Camels To Limit Environmental Damage, Many More Will Be Killed |date=14 September 2012 |work=[[International Business Times]] |access-date=1 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A small population of introduced camels, dromedaries and Bactrians, wandered through [[Southwestern United States]] after having been imported in the 19th century as part of the [[U.S. Camel Corps]] experiment. When the project ended, they were used as draft animals in mines and escaped or were released. Twenty-five U.S. camels were bought and exported to Canada during the [[Cariboo Gold Rush]].<ref name=mantz06/>

The Bactrian camel is, {{as of|2010|lc=yes}}, reduced to an estimated 1.4&nbsp;million animals, most of which are domesticated.<ref name=fedewa00/><ref name=dolby10>{{cite book| publisher = Random House Digital, Inc| isbn = 9780307716255| last = Dolby| first = Karen| title = You Must Remember This: Easy Tricks & Proven Tips to Never Forget Anything, Ever Again| date = 10 August 2010 | page=170}}</ref><ref name=denverzoo>{{cite web|publisher=Denver Zoo |title=Bactrian Camel |access-date=7 December 2012 |url=http://www.denverzoo.org/downloads/dzoo_bactrian_camel.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512074950/http://www.denverzoo.org/downloads/dzoo_bactrian_camel.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013 }}</ref> The [[Wild Bactrian camel]] is the only truly wild (as opposed to feral) camel in the world. It is a distinct species that is not ancestral to the domestic Bactrian camel. The wild camels are critically endangered and number approximately 950, inhabiting the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts in China and Mongolia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jemmett |first1=Anna M. |last2=Groombridge |first2=Jim J. |last3=Hare |first3=John |last4=Yadamsuren |first4=Adiya |last5=Burger |first5=Pamela A. |last6=Ewen |first6=John G. |date=March 2023 |title=What's in a name? Common name misuse potentially confounds the conservation of the wild camel Camelus ferus |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605322000114/type/journal_article |journal=Oryx |language=en |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=175–179 |doi=10.1017/S0030605322000114 |issn=0030-6053}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Animals}}
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Afghan cameleers in Australia]]
* [[Australian feral camel]]
* [[Camel howdah]]
* [[Camel milk]]
* [[Camel racing]]
* [[Camel train]] (caravan)
* [[Camel urine]]
* [[Camel wrestling]]
* ''[[Camelops]]''
* ''[[Camelus moreli]]''
* [[Dromedary]]
* [[List of animals with humps]]
* [[Xerocole]]
{{div col end}}
{{Clear}}

== References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6528E/X6528E00.htm#TOC Camels and Camel Milk. Report Issued by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (1982)]
* {{cite book| last = Ramet| first = J. P.| publisher = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations| isbn = 978-92-5-103154-4| title = The technology of making cheese from camel milk (Camelus dromedarius)| location = Rome| series = FAO Animal Production and Health Paper| access-date = 6 December 2012| year = 2011| url = http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/T0755E/T0755E00.htm | issn=0254-6019|oclc=476039542}}
* {{cite book |last1=Vannithone |first1=S. |last2=Davidson |first2=A. |title=The Oxford companion to food |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [[Oxfordshire]] |year=1999 |chapter=Camel |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00davi_0/page/127 127] |isbn=978-0-19-211579-9 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00davi_0/page/127 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=R.T. |title=The camel |publisher=Longman |location=New York |year=1984|isbn=978-0-582-77512-1 }}
* {{cite book| publisher = Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations| isbn = 978-92-5-101169-0| last = Yagil| first = R.| title = Camels and Camel Milk| location = Rome| series = FAO Animal Production and Health Paper| volume=26|year = 1982|issn=0254-6019 | url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/X6528E/X6528E00.htm}}

'''Further reading'''
* {{cite book |last=Gilchrist |first=W. |year=1851 |title=A Practical Treatise on the Treatment of the Diseases of the Elephant, Camel & Horned Cattle: with instructions for improving their efficiency; also, a description of the medicines used in the treatment of their diseases; and a general outline of their anatomy |location=[[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[India]] |publisher=Military Orphan Press}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Camelus}}
{{Wikiquote|Camels}}
{{Wikispecies|Camelus}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170527094435/http://www.isocard.org/index.htm International Society of Camelid Research and Development]
* [http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/08/6-reasons-camel-milk/ Six Green Reasons to Drink Camel's Milk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101119115428/http://abbott-infotech.co.za/kalahari-use-of-camels-by-south-african-police.html Use of camels by South African police]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190413090005/http://www.camelsandfriends.com/ The Camel as a pet]
* [https://www.thenational.ae/uae/science/could-emirati-camels-hold-the-key-to-treating-venomous-snake-bites-1.843889 "Could Emirati camels hold the key to treating venomous snake bites?"]

{{Artiodactyla|T.}}
{{Camelids}}
{{Meat|state=expanded}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q7375}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Camels| ]]
[[Category:African cuisine]]
[[Category:Arab cuisine]]
[[Category:Camelids]]
[[Category:Domesticated animals]]
[[Category:Halal meat]]
[[Category:Livestock]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]