Dromedary

About This Project

Life in the desert…

A number of adaptations enable the dromedary to withstand extreme heat: its body temperature can go up to 41°C, its red blood cells are oval instead of round… Its hump holds a fat reserve to help it cope with a lack of food and/or water, and it can drink up to 100 litres of water in 10 minutes!

Dromedaries make it possible for Man to live in arid regions, as they provide meat, milk, skins, wool, manure… And transport, of course!

Latin name: Camelus dromedarius
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Size: 1.8 m tall, 3 m long
Weight: 300 – 700 kg
Lifespan: 40 years
Gestation: 13 months
Number of young: 1
Habitat: savannah/desert
Diet: herbivorous
Distribution: From Senegal to Kenya (including the Sahara desert), Middle East to northern India. Introduced into central Australia.
Conservation status: domesticated

Category
Mammalia