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A camel is either of the two species of large even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus: the Dromedary, the single-humped camel, and the Bactrian camel, the double-humped camel. Both are native to the dry and desert areas of Asia and northern Africa. The term camel is also used more broadly to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids, the llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuna.
The term camel is also used more broadly, to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids: Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuna. For an overview of the camel family, see camelid. For more information on the two true camels, see Dromedary and Bactrian Camel.
Family CamelidaeHumans first domesticated camels many thousands of years ago. The Dromedary and the Bactrian Camel are both still used for milk, meat, and as beasts of burden'the Dromedary in northern Africa and western Asia; the Bactrian Camel further to the north and east in central Asia.
Although there are almost 13 million Dromedaries alive today, the species is extinct in the wild: all but a handful are domesticated animals (mostly in Sudan, Somalia, India and nearby countries). There is, however, a substantial feral population of about 32,000 in central Australia, descended from individuals that escaped from captivity in the late 19th century.
The Bactrian Camel once had an enormous range, but is now reduced to an estimated 1.4 million animals, mostly domesticated. It is thought that there are about 1000 wild Bactrian Camels in the Gobi Desert, and small numbers in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/camel). 10/25/04 |
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Names, Origins and DomesticationThe name camel comes from the Hebrew gamal, meaning to repay or requite, as the camel does the care of its master. Humans first domesticated camels many thousands of years ago, and the two species divided the desert world between them by geography: the Dromedary in northern Africa and western Asia, the Bactrian further to the north and east in central Asia. That geography is also the geography of camel hair, because a fiber animal's coat is shaped by the climate it evolved to survive, and both species live in dry and desert areas where temperature swings are severe. The classification runs: family Camelidae; genus Lama for the llama, alpaca and guanaco; genus Vicugna for the vicuna; and genus Camelus for the Dromedary and the Bactrian camel. For an overview of the whole family the camelid grouping is the reference point, and the fiber pages for the individual South American members, alpaca, llama and guanaco, carry the detail for those fibers. Camel Hair Among the Specialty Hair FibersCamel hair belongs to the specialty animal hair fibers, and its glossary neighbours are the other hair-bearing members of its own family and beyond: cashmere wool, alpaca fiber, llama wool and guanaco fiber all have their own definitions alongside this one. The family structure explains the grouping. The two true camels yield camel hair in the dry and desert areas of Asia and northern Africa to which they are native, while their South American relatives, the llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuna, yield the Andean specialty fibers. A reader comparing hair fibers is therefore comparing coats that evolved for hard climates on two continents: desert heat and cold for the true camels, high mountain cold for the South American camelids. That is why the camel is treated in fiber glossaries alongside the other hair-bearing animals rather than only as a beast of burden: the hair that protects the animal in its habitat is a clothing fiber in its own right, and the camel pages and the cashmere page are cross-linked for that reason. Common QuestionsWhat are the two true camel species?The Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius, with a single hump, used in northern Africa and western Asia, and the Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus, with two humps, found further north and east in central Asia. Both are still used for milk, meat and as beasts of burden. Which animals belong to the camel family?The family Camelidae covers the two true camels and the four South American camelids: the llama, Lama glama; the alpaca, Lama glama pacos; the guanaco, Lama guanicoe; and the vicuna, Vicugna vicugna. The South American members are the family's best known fiber producers. Are camels extinct in the wild?The Dromedary is extinct in the wild, with almost 13 million alive today nearly all domesticated, plus a feral population of about 32,000 in central Australia. The Bactrian camel is reduced to an estimated 1.4 million animals, mostly domesticated, with about 1000 wild Bactrian camels thought to remain in the Gobi Desert and small numbers in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fiber Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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