Cama (animal)
{{Short description|Hybrid of male dromedary camel and female llama}}
{{Hybridbox/lua
| name =
| image = Cama (Hybrid between Camel and Llama).jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| status = DOM
| parent = Camelinae
| father_genus = Camelus
| father_species = dromedarius
| link1 = Dromedary
| mother_genus = Lama
| mother_species = glama
| link2 = Llama
}}
A cama is a hybrid between a male dromedary camel and a female llama, and has been produced via artificial insemination at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/49301.stm |title=Meet Rama the cama ... BBC |work=BBC News |date=1998-01-21 |accessdate=2012-08-10}} The first cama was born on January 14, 1998. The aim was to create an animal capable of higher wool production than the llama, with the size and strength of a camel and a cooperative temperament.
{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/jul/15/highereducation.science
|title=Bad karma for cross llama without a hump
|work=The Guardian
|author=Duncan Campbell
|date=2002-07-15
|accessdate=2009-03-02
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310134100/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/jul/15/highereducation.science
|archivedate=2009-03-10
}}
Breeding
{{see also|Hybrid camel}}
The crossing was initially reported by The Ogdensburg Journal in 1871.[http://messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-camels.htm HYBRID CAMELS]
The dromedary has 74 diploid chromosomes, the same as other camelids. The autosomes consist of five pairs of small to medium-sized metacentrics and submetacentrics.{{cite book|last1=Benirschke|first1=K.|last2=Hsu|first2=T.C.|title=An Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes|volume=8|date=1974|publisher=Springer|location=New York, USA|isbn=978-1-4615-6432-4|pages=153–6}} The X chromosome is the largest in the metacentric and submetacentric group. There are 31 pairs of acrocentrics. The dromedary's karyotype is similar to that of the Bactrian camel.{{cite journal|last1=Taylor|first1=K.M.|last2=Hungerford|first2=D.A.|last3=Snyder|first3=R.L.|last4=Ulmer|first4=F.A.Jr.|title=Uniformity of karyotypes in the Camelidae|journal=Cytogenetic and Genome Research|date=1968|volume=7|issue=1|pages=8–15|doi=10.1159/000129967|pmid=5659175}}
As an adult, dromedary camels can weigh up to six times as much as a llama; as such, the hybrid needs to be produced by artificial insemination. Insemination of a female llama with sperm from a male dromedary camel has been the only successful combination. Inseminating a female camel with llama sperm has not produced viable offspring.{{cite web|title='Cama' camel/llama hybrids born in UAE research centre|url=http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2002/03/21/emirates-cama/|first=Miral|last=Fahmy|date=21 March 2002|accessdate=28 November 2012|work=Science in the News|publisher=The Royal Society of New Zealand|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927105152/http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2002/03/21/emirates-cama/|archivedate=27 September 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.xanadufarms.com/Stories/the_cama.htm |title=Xanadu Farms |publisher=Xanadu Farms |date=2002-02-27 |accessdate=2012-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718124919/http://www.xanadufarms.com/Stories/the_cama.htm |archive-date=2011-07-18 |url-status=dead }}
The first cama showed signs of becoming sexually mature at age four, when he showed a desire to breed with a female guanaco and a female llama. He was also a behavioral disappointment, displaying an extremely poor temperament. The second cama, a female named Kamilah, was successfully born in 2002. As of April 2008, five camas had been produced.{{cite web |url=http://www.impactlab.net/2008/04/08/world%e2%80%99s-first-camel-and-llama-cross-now-has-friends/ |title=World's First Camel And Llama Cross Now Has Friends |publisher=Impactlab.net |date=April 8, 2008 |accessdate=2012-08-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722125038/http://www.impactlab.net/2008/04/08/world%E2%80%99s-first-camel-and-llama-cross-now-has-friends/ |archivedate=July 22, 2012 }}
Food and drink
Much like camels, camas are herbivores that eat shrubs and other plant matter. As they can drink large amounts of water at a time, camas can survive with little or no water for long periods.
Comparison of camelids
The camelid family consists of the Old World camelids (the dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, and wild Bactrian camels) and the New World camelids (the llama, vicuna, suri alpaca, huacaya alpaca, and guanaco). Though there have been successful and fertile hybrids within each major groups of camelids, the cama marks the first instance of cross-breeding between the two groups. The following is a table comparing some of the characteristics of camelids.{{cite book|title=World Book Encyclopedia|year=1998|publisher=World Book|isbn=978-0-7166-0098-5}}{{cite book|title=Great Book of the Animal Kingdom|year=1993|publisher=Crescent Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-517-08801-2|pages=328–330}}{{cite book|title=Camels and Relatives, Animal The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife|first=Dorling|last=Kindersley|year=2005|isbn= 978-0-7894-7764-4|pages=236–237}}Dil M. Makhdoomi, Mohsin A. Gazi, Showkat ul Nabi, Shakeel Ahmed, 2013, Animal Science - Morphometric studies on adult double humped camel of Ladakh, India, Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, 2013: 25 (7), pp.544-548, doi: 10.9755/ejfa.v25i7.15999Nature, 2020, [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/camel-fact-sheet/ Camel Fact Sheet], PBS[https://www.dimensions.com/element/bactrian-camel Bactrian Camel] on Dimensions.com[https://bluemoonranch.net/frequently-asked-questions/ Frequently Asked Questions - Blue Moon Ranch Alpacas][https://www.softschools.com/facts/hybrid_animals/cama_facts/2696/ Cama Facts]Arab News, 2018, [https://www.arabnews.com/node/1232611/offbeat Check out the world’s tallest camel]Guinness World Records, [https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-species-of-camel Largest species of camel]
| class="wikitable" |
| Common name
! Scientific name ! Life span ! Adult weight ! Height at shoulder ! Length of fur ! Load-bearing capacity |
|---|
| Dromedary camel
| Camelus dromedarius | 40–50 years | {{convert|450|–|690|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | {{convert|180|–|240|cm|ft|abbr=on}} | {{convert|7.5|–|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|150|–|230|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Bactrian camel
| Camelus bactrianus | 40–50 years | {{convert|450|–|1000|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | {{convert|160|–|180|cm|ft|abbr=on}} | {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|150|–|270|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Wild Bactrian camel
| Camelus ferus | 40–50 years | {{convert|380|–|820|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | | | |
| Llama
| Lama glama | 20–30 years | {{convert|130|–|272|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | {{convert|90|–|120|cm|ft|abbr=on}} | {{convert|8|–|25|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|30|–|50|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Vicuña
| Lama vicugna | 20–25 years | {{convert|35|–|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | 70–90 cm (2½–3 ft) | {{convert|1|–|4|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|10|–|15|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Alpaca
| Lama pacos | 15–20 years | {{convert|46|–|90|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | {{convert|90|–|120|cm|ft|abbr=on}} | {{convert|20|–|40|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|10|–|20|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Guanaco
| Lama guanicoe | 20–25 years | {{convert|70|–|140|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | 105–130 cm (3½–4¼ ft) | {{convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|15|–|20|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Cama
| Camelus dromedarius × Lama glama | Unknown | {{convert|81|–|453|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | 125–144 cm (4 1/10-4 3/4 ft) | {{convert|6|cm|in|abbr=on}} | {{convert|25|–|30|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Mammal hybrids}}
{{Camelids}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cama (Animal)}}