brief introduction

Camel English name: camel, llama camel

Camels are different from other animals. They are particularly hungry and thirsty. People can ride camels across the desert. Camels are also called "ships in the desert". The camel's hump stores fat. When the camel can't get food, the fat can be decomposed into nutrients needed by the camel's body for survival. Camels can go four or five days without eating, relying on the fat in the hump. In addition, there are many bottle-shaped bubbles in the camel's stomach, which is where the camel stores water. The water in these "bottles" makes camels safe even if they don't drink water for several days. Camel is an animal of the genus Camel, belonging to the family Camelidae. There are only two kinds of animals. Their nostrils can be opened and closed, and their meat pads are thick. They are suitable for walking in the desert. They have a hump on their back, and they store fat in it. The first stomach has 20-30 puddles to store water. Red blood cells can greatly expand and absorb water to store water. So they are hungry and thirsty, and don't eat or drink for many days. Once they meet aquatic plants, they can drink a lot of water to store them. The average life span of camels can be as long as 30-50 years. The shoulder height of an adult camel can reach 1.85 meters (6 feet) and the hump height can reach 2. 15 meters (7 feet). The sprint speed can reach 40 mph, and the long-distance sustained speed can reach 25 mph.

Somatotype characteristics

Camel's head is very small, and its neck is thick and long, bending like a goose neck. Tall, with brown hair. The eyes are double eyelids, the nostrils can be opened and closed, the limbs are slender, the hooves are as big as disks, and the toes and soles have thick skin, which are all suitable for walking on the sand. The tail is slender and has tufts of hair at the end. There are 1 ~ 2 camels giving birth on their backs.

A big hump, which stores fat. The stomach is divided into three chambers (lack of flap stomach) and can ruminate. Mild temperament, often acting alone, eating coarse grass and shrubs. Life expectancy is about 30 years. There are two kinds of camels: dromedaries with/kloc-0 humps are mainly distributed in Arabia, India and North Africa; There are two humps, C.bac-trianus, which are about 3 meters long and more than 2 meters tall, and the distance between the two peaks is about 0.5 meters. The villi are well developed and have long hair under the neck. The upper lip is split, which is convenient for feeding. Camels are hungry and thirsty. They can drink enough water 1 time, but in hot and dry desert areas, they can move without water for several days. Because there are many extremely thin and tortuous pipes in their noses, the pipes are usually wet with liquid. When the body is short of water, the pipeline immediately stops secreting liquid, and a 1 layer hard shell is formed on the surface of the pipeline, which can be used to absorb exhaled water without losing it to the body. When inhaling, the water in the hard skin can be sent back to the body. Water is used repeatedly in the body, so it can resist thirst.

biological property

Camels have hair in their ears, which can prevent sand from entering; Camels have double eyelids and thick long eyelashes, which can prevent sandstorms from entering their eyes; The camel's nose can still be closed freely. Camels in the desert

These "equipment" make camels completely afraid of sandstorms. The sand is soft, and it is easy for people to fall in when they step on it. The camel's feet are flat, and there are thick and soft meat pads under its feet, so that the camel can walk freely on the sand and not fall into the sand. Camels have thick hair, and the desert is very cold in winter. Camel fur is extremely effective in keeping body temperature. Camels are familiar with the desert climate. When there is a strong wind, it will kneel down and travelers can get ready in advance. Camels walk slowly, but they can carry many things. He is an important means of transportation in the desert. People regard it as a ship crossing the desert sea and have the reputation of "the ship of the desert". Camel is the collective name of two large ruminant mammals in the family Camelidae of Artiodactyla, which can be divided into single-humped camels and double-humped camels. A dromedary camel has only one hump, and a bactrian camel, also called a summer camel, has two humps. Camels have long limbs and soft and wide feet, which are suitable for walking in sand or snow. There are horny pads on the chest and knees to support the body when kneeling. Running shows a ship in the desert.

Unique gait in which the ipsilateral front and rear limbs move at the same time. There are two rows of eyelashes to protect the eyes, and the ear holes are hairy; The nostrils can be closed, and the vision and smell are keen, which is helpful to adapt to adverse environments such as windy deserts. Camels with proper training and management are docile, but they are also prone to anger, especially in estrus. Spitting when angry, biting and kicking people, is very dangerous. Camels originated in North America about 40 million years ago. Later, its distribution expanded to South America and Asia, but it disappeared in its producing area. Traditionally, camels are used as important pack animals. Although the speed of bactrian camel is only 3 to 5 kilometers per hour, it can carry heavy objects for a long time, and 50 kilometers per day is feasible. The camel's legs are longer, and people can keep the speed of 13 to 16 kilometers per hour when riding 18 hours. Camels can live in the roughest part of scarce vegetation and eat spiny plants, shrub branches and hay that other animals don't eat, but they are willing to eat if there is better food. Camels store fat in their humps when there is plenty of food, and they use this reserve when conditions are bad. The fat in the hump is not only used as a source of nutrition, but also can produce water through fat oxidation. Therefore, camels can go without food or water for several days. According to records, camels survived without water for 17 days. Camels lose water slowly, and the dehydration amount reaches 25% of their body weight, which still has no adverse effects. Camels can drink 100 liter of water in one breath and regain their weight in a few minutes. Because of these characteristics, camels are called desert boats. In winter, the camel grows fluffy coarse hair, and in spring, the coarse hair falls off and the body is almost naked until the new hair begins to grow. Every time a female camel gives birth to a calf, it needs to breastfeed for one year. Camels can live for 30 to 40 years.

Allocated quantity

Although there are still about130,000 dromedaries alive today, wild species are on the verge of extinction. The dromedary camels used as livestock are mainly distributed in Sudan, Somalia, India and its neighboring countries, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. According to traditional theory, the ancestors of modern camels lived in North America 45 million years ago. They may be big and have no toes. They only crossed to Asia about 3 million years ago, and then reached the Middle East and Africa. Although camels once ruled North America for a while, they disappeared with most other species that once lived in America soon after humans appeared on the American continent. However, according to the report of Reuters, the recently discovered unknown giant dromedary in central Syria is believed to have lived 654.38 million years ago, which makes scientists re-examine the origin of modern camels and the skeletal structure of dromedary camels.

Go ahead. Bactrian camels used to be widely distributed, but now there are only about140 thousand, mainly livestock. It is estimated that about 1000 wild bactrian camels live in the Gobi desert, and a few live in Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. It is estimated that there are as many as 700,000 wild camels in central Australia, which are descendants of camels introduced for transportation in the 9th and early 20th centuries. This population is increasing at the rate of 1 1% every year. Due to encroaching on the limited resources needed for raising sheep, the South Australian government decided to kill these camels by shooting into the air. Until the 20th century, a small number of imported single-humped camels and double-humped camels survived in the southwestern United States. They were imported from Turkey and used to carry animals in mines as part of the experiment of American camel troops. These camels escaped or were released after the project ended. In addition, during the gold rush, 23 bactrian camels were introduced to Canada.

Hump action

Anatomically, it is confirmed that the hump stores the deposited fat, not the water sac. Metabolic water produced by fat oxidation can meet the needs of camel life activities. So some people think that the hump actually stores "solid water". It is determined that 1g fat produces 1. 1g metabolic water, and a 45kg hump is equivalent to 50kg metabolic water. But in fact, the metabolism of fat is inseparable from the participation of oxygen, and in the process of oxygen inhalation, the water lost from the lungs is comparable to the water metabolized by fat. This fact shows that Luo Feng is not a solid reservoir at all, but a huge energy storage device, which provides material guarantee for camels to travel long distances in the desert. The rumen of camel is divided into several blind sacs by muscle blocks, which are called "water sacs". Some people think that after a camel drinks water, it needs to store a lot of water in its stomach before it feels thirsty. In fact, those water bags can only hold 5 ~ 6L of water, which is mixed with fermented feed and presents a sticky green juice. The salt concentration in these green juices is roughly the same as that in blood, so it is difficult for camels to use the water in their stomachs. Moreover, the water sac can not be effectively isolated from other parts of rumen, and it is too small to form an effective water storage reservoir. Anatomically, apart from the hump and stomach, there is no organ dedicated to storing water. So it can be concluded that there is no reservoir for camels.

classify

Bactrian camel Bactrian camel is native to Turkestan, China and Mongolia in Central Asia. It was domesticated at least in 800 BC. But there are still wild camels (bactrian camels) in the wild. It is said that there are settlements in China between Tarim and Qaidam Basin and eastward to Mongolia. It often lives in arid areas and migrates with the seasons. The hump of wild bactrian camels is smaller and sharper than that of domestic camels, with slender body, small feet and short hair. The number of wild bactrian camels is rare, with 4-6 camels in pairs or small groups, and large groups 12- 15 are rarely seen. Bactrian camels are very thirsty. They can't drink water for more than ten days or even longer. When they are extremely short of water, they can decompose the fat in the hump and produce water and heat. Drinking water can reach 57 liters at a time to restore normal water content in the body. They feed on various desert plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Populus euphratica and Calligonum mongolicum, and eat almost any plant (including saline-alkali plants) that grows in desert and semi-arid areas. Bactrian camel is docile, easy to ride and suitable for carrying loads: it can carry loads 170-270 kg in four days and walk about 47 kilometers every day. Their maximum speed is about 16 km per hour. Most male camels act alone, and the competition for females in breeding season is very fierce. If one more male and more females move in groups, a large group of 30/40 camels can be formed. 2 years, 1 fetus, 1 fetus, 13 months pregnant. It is a world-class rare animal. Breeding period 4- feeding camels

May, pregnancy 12- 14 months. A female camel gives birth to one child and rarely gives birth to two. They are sexually mature at the age of 4-5 and live for 35-40 years. Bactrian camels have two layers of fur: one is warm inner fluff, and the other is rough outer fur. The two layers of fur will be mixed and shed, and they can be collected and treated separately. Bactrian camel can produce about 7 kilograms of wool fiber every year, and its structure is similar to cashmere. The cashmere of bactrian camels is usually 2-8 cm long and can be used for spinning or weaving. The dromedary is a large artiodactyl, which is distributed in North Africa and West Asia, and some of them come from the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The dromedary camel has been domesticated in central or southern Arabia for thousands of years. At present, it is known that about13 million dromedaries have been domesticated in the world, mostly from west India to Pakistan, and then from Iran to North Africa. There were no untamed peoples in their initial distribution, but later some dromedary camels were introduced to Australia and some to the United States, so only the dromedary camels in Australia and the United States were wild. Male dromedaries have a soft upper jaw, which enables them to produce a pink bag. During the mating season, this kind of bag will be hung on both sides of the mouth of the male dromedary camel to attract the opposite sex. The dromedary camel has thick eyelashes and small furry ears. The gestation period of dromedary camel is about 65438 02 months. Usually, they only have one camel at a time, and the adult camel will take care of the camel until the camel 18 months old. Female dromedaries mature sexually after 3 to 4 years old, while male dromedaries mature sexually after 5 to 6 years old. Their life span is generally 25 years and the longest is 50 years. Adult dromedaries can be as long as 10 feet and as high as 6 to 7 feet. They generally weigh 1000 to 1500 pounds. Domesticated dromedaries can provide milk and meat for human beings, and can also be used to carry goods or passengers. In Egypt, many policemen patrol around on camels. One-humped camels are taller and run faster than two-humped camels. If someone controls it, it can keep the speed from 13 to 14 kilometers per hour. Besides the dromedary and bactrian camels, there are four camel-like animals living in South America: llamas, alpacas, llamas and llamas.

applicability

The service performance of camel is one of its main production performance, which can be used for riding, carrying, pulling carts, plowing and so on. Carry on the back of a pack animal

(1) Camel riding is the main riding tool in desert and semi-desert areas, especially in desert areas, and it has been widely used in desert investigation. Camels are not good at running, but they have long legs, big and light steps and strong endurance. In addition, their hooves have a special structure, so they are suitable as important means of transportation in the desert. When riding a short distance, the speed of bactrian camel can reach 10~ 15 km/h, and when riding a long distance, it can travel 30~35 km every day. Camel races have been held in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, and camel races have also been held in remote minority sports meetings. The result of Alashan camel's 5000 meters is 3 minutes and 58 seconds. (2) When carrying goods in deserts, Gobi, hydrochloric acid fields, mountains and grasslands with deep snow, other means of transport are often difficult to play a role, and camels are the most important pack animals in these areas, playing an irreplaceable role in other domestic animals and means of transport. Therefore, it is also widely used in exploration, scientific investigation and transportation in desert areas. Camels can still insist on transportation in the case of bad weather and insufficient supply of aquatic plants. Generally speaking, the load of bactrian camels is about 33.8%~43. 1%, that is, 100~200 kg. During short-distance transportation, the carrying weight can reach 250~300 kilograms, and the daily journey can reach 30~35 kilometers. Generally, a single-peak bag is heavier than a cycling bag, with a speed of about 2~3 km/h and a load of 165~220 kg. (3) Camels can be used for farmland, carts, pumping water, etc. It is reported that when the bactrian camel pulls the cart, two packs 1 cart can pull 1.5~ 1.8 tons; When working in farmland, a single set of walking plough can cultivate land for 5 hours every day, and the cultivated land is 3333 square meters (5 mu); Two sets of double share plows can cultivate 4667 square meters (7 mu) per day, with a maximum of 9333( 14 mu). According to the measurement, the maximum pulling force of camel is 369 kg, which is equivalent to 80% of its own weight, while Sanhe horse is 32 1 kg and Qinchuan cattle is 3 12.5 kg. The situation of the dromedary camel is basically similar to that of the bactrian camel. It is reported that in South Africa, 1 hump camel pulls a two-wheeled cart with a load of 750 kg. In agriculture, dromedary camels are also widely used in farmland operations, and are often paired with animals such as cattle and horses.

History and evolution

Living in North America/kloc-0.0 million years ago, the distant ancestors of camels crossed the Bering Strait to reach Asia and Africa, and evolved into bactrian camels and human domesticated dromedaries. The dromedary camel has been domesticated in central or southern Arabia for thousands of years. Experts say that some people think that the dromedary camel was domesticated as early as 4000 BC, while most people think that it was 1400 BC. About 2000 years ago, the dromedary gradually lived in the Sahara desert, but disappeared in the Sahara desert again about 900 years ago. Most of them are wild camels caught by humans.

Hunting. Later, when Egypt invaded Persia, Cambyses Ⅱ introduced the domesticated dromedary into Persia. Domesticated dromedaries were widely used in North Africa. Until later, the Roman Empire still used camel teams to patrol the desert edge with soldiers. But Persian camels are not suitable for crossing the Sahara desert; This long journey across the desert is usually done by chariots. In the 4th century, stronger and more durable bactrian camels were first introduced to Africa. After they were introduced to Africa, more and more people began to use them, because this kind of camel is more suitable for long-distance travel across the desert and can carry more and heavier goods. At this time, the trans-Saharan trade was finally carried out.

Hybrid camel

Bactrian camel has two humps and is an animal suitable for cold climate. The dromedary camel has only one hump, which is more suitable for desert life. Their hybrids are bigger than two camels, have humps and are good at carrying things. Female hybrids can mate with male bactrian camels and have children. You can see such mixed-race camels in Kazakhstan. The artificial hybrid camel and alpaca became Kama, and scientists wanted to understand the similarities between the two species through experiments. A dromedary camel weighs six times as much as an alpaca, so it needs artificial fertilization to get a female alpaca pregnant. However, the female dromedary camel failed to conceive successfully. Hybrid is smaller than alpaca, with short ears and long tail, similar to camel, without hump and split toes, similar to alpaca, rather than camel's big feet. Kama became sexually mature at the age of 4 and became interested in female alpacas and Guanagos. Then another female Kama was born through artificial insemination. Because both camels and alpacas have 74 chromosomes, scientists hope that female Kama can have children. If successful, this means that it is possible to increase the size of South American camels and mixed camels.

Output and carrying capacity. Kama seems to have inherited the temperament of his parents, showing the connection between camel species in the old and new continents.