Camels are animals belonging to the artidactyla family, as their legs end in two toes that they use to walk. As a ruminant herbivore, the camel's diet is based on vegetables. The domestic species of camel, Camelus bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius, living with humans, may have a more varied and nutritious diet, but the wild camel, Camelus ferus, due to the ecosystem in which it lives, must adapt to a more restricted.
Do you want to know what camels eat? In this article on our site we will discover what camels eat in the wild, how they are adapted to the extreme temperatures of their environment and how they survive.
Where do camels live?
The wild camel is an animal listed as a critically endangered species whose populations are declining, with around 950 adult specimens. They are being threatened by the increase in commercial and industrial areas, the increase in livestock, mining, hunting, the reduction of water areas (oasis), nuclear bomb tests and the introduction of exotic species.
This species inhabits the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts in northwestern China and Mongolia. In addition to the fact that the vegetation in these areas is very scarce, the ecosystems in these deserts vary from mountainous areas to extremely arid, flat, sandy areas. Camels can be found in the rocky areas of the Gobi, oases and sand dunes.
Discover also on our site the differences between a camel and a dromedary.
Feeding the camels
Camels have a very powerful jaw They have a prehensile and divided upper lip that allows them to select the parts of plants they consider more suitable, giving way to a hard and elongated palate, with a short but mobile tongue. As for the stomach, we must point out that this animal has three well-separated chambers and that through feeding rumination, that is, chewing the food over and over again Once, even after passing through the first part of the stomach, it helps them extract the most nutrients from the food.
But what do camels eat? To begin with, we must know that these are herbivorous animals. In their natural habitat, camels feed on the consumption of tree leaves and legume bushes, although it also includes other bushes, grass or common grass. They can also eat plants from the Acacia, Balanites, Salsola and Tamariz families.
Food intake can be rapid or selective, depending on the type of vegetable and its size, although sometimes it can be an activity that takes up to 15 hours a day On the other hand, how much does a camel eat a day? It will depend on his age and state of he alth, although we can estimate that a male that exceeds 500 kg. you will need more than 25 kg. of dry matter per day This intake can be exceeded in females during the lactation period, when their feeding can be increased by up to 20%.
What do camels eat in the desert?
The main food of camels in the desert is an extremely prickly bushy plantcalled "the manna of Persia", Alhagi maurorum, a type of legume. Despite the thorns, camels have no problem eating it thanks to their thick lips, which prevent them from pricking themselves.
This type of food rich in protein causes camels to reduce their needs, which is essential to survive in this type of climate. In order to extract all the nutrients from ingested plants, wild camels have a greater diversity of bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract than domestic camels.
Of course, there are other plants in the desert that camels can eat, in fact, a camel will eat almost anything for a little appetizing, such as dry herbaceous or plants with a high accumulation of s alts.
Do camels drink little water?
To survive in the desert, camels follow different strategies. One of them is being able to go several days without drinking, even more than a month during the less hot periods of the year. But when they drink, they are capable of drinking more than a hundred liters in a few minutes. Through feeding, camels obtain fat that they store in their humps This fat can be metabolized so that they obtain water to maintain their vital functions.
Another peculiarity of the wild camel, which differentiates it from the domestic one, is its ability to hydrate itself by drinking s alt water when fresh water he's absent.
If you want to know more about the animals that live in this type of ecosystem, visit our article on the animals that live in the desert and their characteristics.
