The dromedary belongs to the camel family and is distributed throughout North Africa, the Horn of Africa and in Southwest Asia as a pet. Even in Australia, dromedaries were introduced as farm animals more than a hundred years ago. There is now a large feral population of about 300,000 animals from the offspring of released or runaway animals.
Dromedaries reach a shoulder height of up to 2.30 meters and a maximum weight of 700 kilograms and can be easily distinguished from camelids by their single cusp or hump. After 360 to 440 days, the females usually give birth to a cub. The dromedary is well adapted to life in dry areas. In its hump is fat tissue, which can be biochemically converted to energy in times of food shortages. The dromedaries store water in their gastric system. The anatomical adjustments allow dromedaries to survive dry periods of up to two weeks.
