page_title: Dromedary
section_title: Anatomy
hierarchical_section_title: Dromedary / Characteristics / Anatomy
caption_attribution_description: English: Camelus dromedarius (dromedary) old skull and neck vertebrae. On display at museum Fragonard of National Veterinarian High School of Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne, France. Please notice the restoration of the broken jawbone (maxilla) with a wire... Français&#160;: vieux crâne et vertèbres cervicales d'un dromadaire (Camelus dromedarius). Musée Fragonard de l'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France. Notez la restauration du maxillaire brisé avec du fil de fer...
context_page_description: The dromedary, also called the Somali camel or Arabian camel, is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back.
  It is the tallest of the three species of camel; adult males stand 1.8–2 m at the shoulder, while females are 1.7–1.9 m tall. Males typically weigh between 400 and 600 kg, and females weigh between 300 and 540 kg.
  The species' distinctive features include its long, curved neck, narrow chest, a single hump, and long hairs on the throat, shoulders and hump. The coat is generally a shade of brown. The hump, 20 cm tall or more, is made of fat bound together by fibrous tissue.
  Dromedaries are mainly active during daylight hours. They form herds of about 20 individuals, which are led by a dominant male. This camel feeds on foliage and desert vegetation; several adaptations, such as the ability to tolerate losing more than 30% of its total water content, allow it to thrive in its desert habitat. Mating occurs annually and peaks in the rainy season; females bear a single calf after a gestation of 15 months.
  The dromedary has not occurred naturally in the wild for nearly 2,000 years.
context_section_description: The cranium of the dromedary consists of a postorbital bar, a tympanic bulla filled with spongiosa, a well-defined sagittal crest, a long facial part and an indented nasal bone. Typically, there are eight sternal and four non-sternal pairs of ribs. The spinal cord is nearly 214 cm (84 in) long; it terminates in the second and third sacral vertebra. The fibula is reduced to a malleolar bone. The dromedary is a digitigrade animal; it walks on its toes, which are known as digits. It lacks the second and fifth digits. The front feet are 19 cm (7.5 in) wide and 18 cm (7.1 in) long; they are larger than the hind feet, which measure 17 cm (6.7 in) wide and 16 cm (6.3 in) long.
  The dromedary has 22 milk teeth, which are eventually replaced by 34 permanent teeth. The dental formula for permanent dentition is , and  for milk dentition. In the juvenile,  the lower first molars develop by 12 to 15 months and the permanent lower incisors appear at 4.5 to 6.5 years of age. All teeth are in use by 8 years. The lenses of the eyes contain crystallin, which constitutes 8 to 13% of the protein present there.
  The skin is black; the epidermis is 0.038–0.064 mm (0.0015–0.0025 in) thick and the dermis is 2.2–4.7 mm (0.087–0.185 in) thick. The hump is composed of fat bound together by fibrous tissue. There are no glands on the face; males have glands that appear to be modified apocrine sweat glands that secrete pungent, coffee-coloured fluid during the rut, located on either side of the neck midline. The glands generally grow heavier during the rut, and range from 20 to 115 g (0.71 to 4.06 oz). Each cover hair is associated with an arrector pilli muscle, a hair follicle, a ring of sebaceous glands and a sweat gland. Females have cone-shaped, four-chambered mammary glands that are 2.4 cm (0.94 in) long with a base diameter of 1.5 cm (0.59 in). These glands can produce milk with up to 90% water content even if the mother is at risk of dehydration.
  The heart weighs around 5 kg (11 lb); it has two ventricles with the tip curving to the left. The pulse rate is 50 beats per minute. The dromedary is the only mammal with oval red blood corpuscles, which facilitates blood flow during dehydration. The pH of the blood varies from 7.1 to 7.6 (slightly alkaline). The individual's state of hydration and sex and the time of year can influence blood values. The lungs lack lobes. A dehydrated camel has a lower breathing rate. Each kidney has a capacity of 858 cm³ (52.4 cu in), and can produce urine with high chloride concentrations. Like the horse, the dromedary has no gall bladder. The grayish violet, crescent-like spleen weighs less than 500 g (18 oz). The triangular, four-chambered liver weighs 6.5 kg (14 lb); its dimensions are 60 cm × 42 cm × 18 cm (24 in × 17 in × 7 in).
caption: The skull displayed at museum Fragonard of National Veterinarian High School of Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne, France
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