Cama (animal)

Cama
Conservation status
Domesticated
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Camelidae
Genus:	Camelus Lama
Species:	Camelus dromedarius × Lama glama
Binomial name
Clamalelus dromeglariuma

A cama is a hybrid between a male dromedary camel and a female llama, produced via artificial insemination at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai. The first cama was born on January 14, 1998. The aim was to create an animal with the size and strength of the camel, but the more cooperative temperament and the higher wool production of the llama.

Breeding

An adult camel weighs six times as much as a llama. So, artificial insemination is the only way to produce a live and thriving cama. Only the artificial insemination of a female llama with sperm from a male dromedary camel has been successful in producing a cama. Other combinations, such as artificial insemination of a female camel with male llama sperm, have not produced viable offspring. The cama is not sterile because, unlike other well known hybrids, the camel and the llama have the same number of chromosomes. This is not generally true for other successful livestock hybrids, such as the mule. For example, the horse has 64 chromosomes and the donkey has 62, so when they breed it produces either a mule or a hinny, which each have 63 chromosomes.

The first cama showed signs of becoming sexually mature at four years of age, when it started to show signs of wanting to breed with the female guanaco and a female llama. At this stage, the first cama was a disappointment behaviorally, displaying an extremely poor temperament. A more recent story suggests that his behavior is generally more gentle as hoped for. The second cama, a female named Kamilah, was successfully born in 2002. Four camas have since (April 2008) been produced using artificial insemination.

Comparison of camelids

The camelid family consists of the Old World camelids (the Dromedary and Bactrian camels), and the New World camelids, (the llama, vicuna, alpaca, and the guanaco). Even though there have been successful and fertile hybrids within each major group camelids, this is the first time the groups have been crossbred. Following is a table comparing some characteristics of camelids.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Life Span	Adult Weight	Height at Shoulder	Length of Fur	Load Bearing Capacity
Dromedary Camel	Camelus dromedarius	40 years	450–648 kg (1000–1430 lb)	180–210 cm (6–7 ft)	7.5–10 cm (3–4 in)	150 kg (330 lb)
Bactrian Camel	Camelus bactrianus	40 years	450–648 kg (1000–1430 lb)	183–210 cm (6–7 ft)	25 cm (10 in)	150 kg (330 lb)
Llama	Lama glama	30 years	130–200 kg (280–450 lb)	120 cm (4 ft)	90–120 cm (3–4 ft)	59 kg (130 lb)
Vicuna	Vicugna vicugna	30 years	50 kg (110 lb)	120–180 cm (4–6 ft)	70–112 cm (28–44 in)	59 kg (130 lb)
Alpaca	Vicugna pacos	30 years	46-84 kg (100-185 lb)	120 cm (4 ft)	90–120 cm (3–4 ft)	59 kg (130 lb)
Guanaco	Lama guanicoe	30 years	60–75 kg (132-165 lb)	180–230 cm (6-7 ½ ft)	70–132 cm (28–52 in)	59 kg (130 lb)
Cama	Camelus dromedarius × Lama glama

Habitat

The cama is relatively hardy and can survive with little or no water for long periods just like a camel.

Food

The cama is an herbivore and it eats shrubs, and almost any plant matter like a camel. It can drink enormous amounts of water after a long time without water. It can also go without food for short periods.