page_title: Dromedary
section_title: Reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: Dromedary / Biology / Reproduction
caption_attribution_description: Camelus dromedarius mating
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: Camels have a slow growth rate and reach sexual maturity slower than sheep or goat. The age of sexual maturity varies geographically and depends on the individual, as does the reproductive period. Both sexes might mature by three to five years of age, though successful breeding could take longer. Mating occurs once a year, and peaks in the rainy season. The mating season lasts three to five months, but may last a year for older animals.
  During the reproductive season, males splash their urine on their tails and nether regions. To attract females they extrude their soft palate – a trait unique to the dromedary. As the male gurgles, copious quantities of saliva turns to foam and covers the mouth. Males threaten each other for dominance over the female by trying to stand taller than the other, making low noises and a series of head movements including lowering, lifting and bending their necks backward. Males try to defeat other males by biting the opponent's legs and taking the head between his jaws. Copulation begins with foreplay; the male smells the female's genitalia and often bites her there or around her hump. The male forces the female to sit, then grasps her with his forelegs. Camelmen often aid the male insert his penis into the female's vulva. The male dromedary's ability to penetrate the female on his own is disputed, though feral populations in Australia reproduce naturally. Copulation takes from 7 to 35 minutes, averaging 11 to 15 minutes. Normally, three to four ejaculations occur. The semen of a Bikaneri dromedary is white and viscous, with a pH of around 7.8.
  A single calf is born after a gestation period of 15 months. Calves move freely by the end of their first day. Nursing and maternal care continue for one to two years. In a study to find whether young could exist on milk substitutes, two male, month-old camels were separated from their mothers and were fed on milk substitutes prepared commercially for lambs, and they grew to normal weights for male calves after 30 days. Lactational yield can vary with species, breed, individual, region, diet, management conditions and lactating stage. The largest quantity of  milk is produced during the early period of lactation. The lactation period can vary between nine and eighteen months.
  Dromedaries are induced ovulators. Oestrus may be cued by the nutritional status of the camel and the length of day. If mating does not occur, the follicle, which grows during oestrus, usually regresses within a few days. In one study, 35 complete oestrous cycles were observed in five nonpregnant females over 15 months. The cycles were about 28 days long; follicles matured in six days, maintained their size for 13 days, and returned to their original size in eight days. In another study, ovulation could be best induced when the follicle reaches a size of 0.9–1.9 cm (0.35–0.75 in). In another study, pregnancy in females could be recognized as early as 40 to 45 days of gestation by the swelling of the left uterine horn, where 99.5% of pregnancies were located.
caption: Mating
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