Wild camels haven’t been seen in Arabia for several hundred years. Central Australia is home to the last remaining herds of wild camels in the world – Australia even exports camels back to the Middle East.  Other useful camel facts: a female is a cow, a male is a bull, a baby is a calf.  Camels have a third eyelid which works like a windshield wiper, moving from side to side to wipe away sand and dust. An adult camel weighs around 500-600kg, a size they’ll reach at six to seven years – they can live up to 50 years, though. The hump can weigh up to 36kg. The hump is fat, not water storage, which is one reason why camel could be the meat of the future in health conscious countries – camel meat has no cholesterol and hardly any fat, since the fat is all in the hump and that can be easily discarded. Baby camels are born without a hump.

 

 

 

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue 18]