96-511: The Emperor of Exmoor , a red stag ( Cervus elaphus ), was reportedly killed in October 2010. Its weight has been estimated as over 300 pounds (136 kg) and its height at 9 feet (2.7 m). Red deer on Exmoor National Park are larger than red deer in Scotland owing to their diet. The deer was given its nickname by photographer Richard Austin. Its body was reportedly discovered near
192-423: A dulla in his throat, a large, inflatable sac that he extrudes from his mouth when in rut to assert dominance and attract females. It resembles a long, swollen, pink tongue hanging out of the side of the camel's mouth. Camels mate by having both male and female sitting on the ground, with the male mounting from behind. The male usually ejaculates three or four times within a single mating session. Camelids are
288-412: A barrier against sand. If sand gets lodged in their eyes, they can dislodge it using their translucent third eyelid (also known as the nictitating membrane). The camels' gait and widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand. The kidneys and intestines of a camel are very efficient at reabsorbing water. Camels' kidneys have a 1:4 cortex to medulla ratio . Thus, the medullary part of
384-502: A camel's kidney occupies twice as much area as a cow's kidney. Secondly, renal corpuscles have a smaller diameter, which reduces surface area for filtration. These two major anatomical characteristics enable camels to conserve water and limit the volume of urine in extreme desert conditions. Camel urine comes out as a thick syrup, and camel faeces are so dry that they do not require drying when used to fuel fires. The camel immune system differs from those of other mammals. Normally,
480-524: A category ( Data Deficient ). The species as a whole, however, is listed as least concern . However, this was based on the traditional classification of red deer as one species ( Cervus elaphus ), including the wapiti. The common red deer is also known as simply red deer. Selected members of the red deer species group are listed in the table below. Of the ones listed, C. e. hippelaphus and C. e. scoticus may be junior synonyms . Mature red deer ( C. elaphus ) usually stay in single-sex groups for most of
576-438: A distinctive roar during the rut, which is an adaptation to forested environments, in contrast to male American elk stags which "bugle" during the rut in adaptation to open environments. The male deer roars to keep his harem of females together. The females are initially attracted to those males that both roar most often and have the loudest roar call. Males also use the roar call when competing with other males for females during
672-403: A foot taller. Camels can run at up to 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and sustain speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph). Bactrian camels weigh 300 to 1,000 kg (660 to 2,200 lb) and dromedaries 300 to 600 kg (660 to 1,320 lb). The widening toes on a camel's hoof provide supplemental grip for varying soil sediments. The male dromedary camel has an organ called
768-421: A greyish-brown coat with a darker yellowish rump patch in the winter. By the time summer begins, the heavy winter coat has been shed; the animals are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. Red deer have different colouration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with grey or lighter colouration prevalent in the winter and more reddish and darker coat colouration in
864-467: A mixture of wool and camel hair was used. By at least 1200 BC the first camel saddles had appeared, and Bactrian camels could be ridden. The first saddle was positioned to the back of the camel, and control of the Bactrian camel was exercised by means of a stick. However, between 500 and 100 BC, Bactrian camels came into military use. New saddles, which were inflexible and bent, were put over
960-687: A pair sent by Lord Petre in 1851 from his herd at Thorndon Park , Essex, to the South Island, but the hind was shot before they had a chance to breed. Lord Petre sent another stag and two hinds in 1861, and these were liberated near Nelson , from where they quickly spread. The first deer to reach the North Island were a gift to Sir Frederick Weld from Windsor Great Park and were released near Wellington ; these were followed by further releases up to 1914. Between 1851 and 1926, 220 separate liberations of red deer involved over 800 deer. In 1927,
1056-446: A pan- Trypanozoon test, which would also be useful for T. b. brucei , T. b. gambiense , T. b. rhodesiense , and T. equiperdum . The karyotypes of different camelid species have been studied earlier by many groups, but no agreement on chromosome nomenclature of camelids has been reached. A 2007 study flow sorted camel chromosomes, building on the fact that camels have 37 pairs of chromosomes (2n=74), and found that
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#17327804172801152-577: A relatively long tail compared with their Asian and North American relatives. Subtle differences in appearance are noted between the various subspecies of red deer, primarily in size and antlers, with the smallest being the Corsican red deer found on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia and the largest being the Caspian red deer (or maral) of Asia Minor and the Caucasus Region to the west of
1248-521: A short neck mane during the autumn. The male deer of the British Isles and Norway tend to have the thickest and most noticeable manes. Male Caspian red deer ( C. e. maral ) and Spanish red deer ( C. e. hispanicus ) do not carry neck manes. Male deer of all subspecies, however, tend to have stronger and thicker neck muscles than female deer, which may give them an appearance of having neck manes. Red deer hinds (females) do not have neck manes. Only
1344-607: A significant road traffic hazard. In Argentina and Chile, the red deer has had a potentially adverse impact on native animal species, such as the South Andean deer or huemul ; the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has labelled the animal as one of the world's 100 worst invaders. Red deer in Europe generally spend their winters at lower altitudes in more wooded terrain. During
1440-866: A thousand more camels), the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 saw the end of the Camel Corps: Texas became part of the Confederacy, and most of the camels were left to wander away into the desert. France created a méhariste camel corps in 1912 as part of the Armée d'Afrique in the Sahara in order to exercise greater control over the camel-riding Tuareg and Arab insurgents, as previous efforts to defeat them on foot had failed. The Free French Camel Corps fought during World War II , and camel-mounted units remained in service until
1536-411: A vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. There are three surviving species of camel. The one-humped dromedary makes up 94% of the world's camel population, and the two-humped Bactrian camel makes up 6%. The wild Bactrian camel is a distinct species that is not ancestral to the domestic Bactrian camel, and is now critically endangered , with fewer than 1,000 individuals. The word camel
1632-399: Is a camel-llama hybrid bred by scientists to see how closely related the parent species are. Scientists collected semen from a camel via an artificial vagina and inseminated a llama after stimulating ovulation with gonadotrophin injections. The cama is halfway in size between a camel and a llama and lacks a hump. It has ears intermediate between those of camels and llamas, longer legs than
1728-430: Is a net decrease in water. Camels have a series of physiological adaptations that allow them to withstand long periods of time without any external source of water. The dromedary camel can drink as seldom as once every 10 days even under very hot conditions, and can lose up to 30% of its body mass due to dehydration. Unlike other mammals, camels' red blood cells are oval rather than circular in shape. This facilitates
1824-445: Is about 95 to 130 cm (37 to 51 in). In Scotland , stags average 201 cm (79 in) in head-and-body length and 122 cm (48 in) high at the shoulder and females average 180 cm (71 in) long and 114 cm (45 in) tall. Based on body mass, they are likely the fourth largest extant deer species on average, behind the moose , the elk and the sambar deer . Size varies in different subspecies with
1920-568: Is also used informally in a wider sense, where the more correct term is "camelid", to include all seven species of the family Camelidae : the true camels (the above three species), along with the "New World" camelids: the llama , the alpaca , the guanaco , and the vicuña , which belong to the separate tribe Lamini . Camelids originated in North America during the Eocene , with the ancestor of modern camels, Paracamelus , migrating across
2016-680: Is called a stag or hart , and a female is called a doe or hind . The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia , Iran , and parts of western Asia . It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa ; being the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia , New Zealand , the United States , Canada , Peru , Uruguay , Chile and Argentina . In many parts of
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#17327804172802112-504: Is estimated to have stood around nine feet (2.7 metres) tall. The Bactrian camel diverged from the dromedary about 1 million years ago, according to the fossil record. The last camel native to North America was Camelops hesternus , which vanished along with horses , short-faced bears , mammoths and mastodons , ground sloths , sabertooth cats , and many other megafauna as part of the Quaternary extinction event , coinciding with
2208-509: Is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet , which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. The antlers are testosterone -driven and as the stag's testosterone levels drop in the autumn, the velvet is shed and the antlers stop growing. With the approach of autumn, the antlers begin to calcify and the stags' testosterone production builds for the approaching rut (mating season). European red deer antlers are distinctive in being rather straight and rugose , with
2304-520: Is reabsorbed into the body as a means to conserve water. Camels eating green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their bodies' hydrated state without the need for drinking. The camel's thick coat insulates it from the intense heat radiated from desert sand; a shorn camel must sweat 50% more to avoid overheating. During the summer the coat becomes lighter in color, reflecting light as well as helping avoid sunburn. The camel's long legs help by keeping its body farther from
2400-417: Is used with all but the most determined of predators with great effectiveness. Aside from humans and domestic dogs, the grey wolf is probably the most dangerous predator European red deer encounter. Occasionally, the brown bear will prey on European red deer. Red deer are widely depicted in cave art found throughout European caves, with some of the artwork dating from as early as 40,000 years ago, during
2496-538: Is widely considered to be both flavourful and nutritious. It is higher in protein and lower in fat than either beef or chicken . The red deer can produce 10 to 15 kg (20 to 35 lb) of antler velvet annually. On ranches in New Zealand , China , Siberia , and elsewhere, this velvet is collected and sold to markets in East Asia, where it is used for holistic medicines , with South Korea being
2592-518: The A361 road between Tiverton and Barnstaple in Devon , during the annual rutting season . It was reportedly killed by a licensed hunter , and an unnamed man reported hearing two shots. Within a few days, other local observers reported having seen the animal alive, leading to the suggestion that this may be a manufactured story. Few of the reported facts can actually be verified. The Guardian called
2688-879: The Achaemenid Persians when fighting Lydia in the Battle of Thymbra (547 BC). The United States Army established the U.S. Camel Corps , stationed in California , in the 19th century. One may still see stables at the Benicia Arsenal in Benicia, California , where they nowadays serve as the Benicia Historical Museum. Though the experimental use of camels was seen as a success ( John B. Floyd , Secretary of War in 1858, recommended that funds be allocated towards obtaining
2784-532: The Arabian Peninsula , dating to around 930 BC. This garnered considerable media coverage, as it is strong evidence that the stories of Abraham , Jacob , Esau , and Joseph were written after this time . The existence of camels in Mesopotamia—but not in the eastern Mediterranean lands—is not a new idea. The historian Richard Bulliet did not think that the occasional mention of camels in
2880-465: The Aravah Valley enable us to pinpoint the introduction of domestic camels to the southern Levant more precisely based on stratigraphic contexts associated with an extensive suite of radiocarbon dates . The data indicate that this event occurred not earlier than the last third of the 10th century [BC] and most probably during this time. The coincidence of this event with a major reorganization of
2976-469: The Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. Armies have also used camels as freight animals instead of horses and mules. The East Roman Empire used auxiliary forces known as dromedarii , whom the Romans recruited in desert provinces. The camels were used mostly in combat because of their ability to scare off horses at close range (horses are afraid of the camels' scent), a quality famously employed by
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3072-465: The Bering land bridge into Asia during the late Miocene , around 6 million years ago. Three species are extant : [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. A full-grown adult dromedary camel stands 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) at the shoulder and 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) at the hump. Bactrian camels can be
3168-812: The British Indian Army in World Wars I and II. The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment of Sahrawi tribesmen serving in the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today Western Sahara ). Operational from the 1930s until the end of the Spanish presence in the territory in 1975, the Tropas Nómadas were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish officers. The unit guarded outposts and sometimes conducted patrols on camelback. The annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival
3264-635: The Caspian Sea . The deer of central and western Europe vary greatly in size, with some of the largest deer found in the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. Western European red deer, historically, grew to large size given ample food supply (including people's crops), and descendants of introduced populations living in New Zealand and Argentina have grown quite large in both body and antler size. Large red deer stags, like
3360-655: The Gobi Desert . When humans first domesticated camels is disputed. Dromedaries may have first been domesticated by humans in Somalia or South Arabia sometime during the 3rd millennium BC , the Bactrian in central Asia around 2,500 BC, as at Shar-i Sokhta (also known as the Burnt City), Iran . A study from 2016, which genotyped and used world-wide sequencing of modern and ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), suggested that they were initially domesticated in
3456-640: The State Forest Service introduced a bounty for red deer shot on their land, and in 1931, government control operations were commenced. Between 1931 and March 1975, 1,124,297 deer were killed on official operations. The introduced red deer have adapted well and are widely hunted on both islands; many of the 220 introductions used deer originating from Scotland ( Invermark ) or one of the major deer parks in England, principally Warnham, Woburn Abbey or Windsor Great Park. Some hybridisation happened with
3552-595: The Upper Paleolithic . Siberian cave art from the Neolithic of 7,000 years ago has abundant depictions of red deer, including what can be described as spiritual artwork, indicating the importance of this mammal to the peoples of that region (Note: these animals were most likely wapiti ( C. canadensis ) in Siberia, not red deer). Red deer are also often depicted on Pictish stones ( circa 550–850 AD), from
3648-416: The mammals exhibiting homosexual behavior . Dominant stags urinate on themselves and follow groups of hinds during the rut, from August into early winter. The stags may have as many as 20 hinds to keep from other, less attractive males. Only mature stags hold harems (groups of hinds), and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age. Stags two to four years old rarely hold harems and spend most of
3744-469: The "throw back" top tines of the North American elk ( C. canadensis ), known as maraloid characteristics. A stag can (exceptionally) have antlers with no tines, and is then known as a switch. Similarly, a stag that does not grow antlers is a hummel. European red deer tend to be reddish-brown in their summer coats, and some individuals may have a few spots on the backs of their summer coats. During
3840-689: The Bible meant that the domestic camels were common in the Holy Land at that time. The archaeologist William F. Albright , writing even earlier, saw camels in the Bible as an anachronism . The official report by Sapir-Hen and Ben-Joseph says: The introduction of the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) as a pack animal to the southern Levant ... substantially facilitated trade across the vast deserts of Arabia, promoting both economic and social change (e.g., Kohler 1984; Borowski 1998: 112–116; Jasmin 2005). This ... has generated extensive discussion regarding
3936-601: The British Deer Society records the red deer as having continued to expand their range in England and Wales since 2000, with expansion most notable in the Midlands and East Anglia . Caspian red deer are found in the Hyrcanian Forests . In New Zealand , red deer were introduced by acclimatisation societies along with other deer and game species. The first red deer to reach New Zealand were
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4032-705: The Caspian red deer or those of the Carpathian Mountains, may rival North American elk in size. Female red deer are much smaller than their male counterparts. The male (stag) red deer is typically 175 to 250 cm (69 to 98 in) long from the nose to the base of the tail and typically weighs 160 to 240 kg (350 to 530 lb); the female (hind) is 160 to 210 cm (63 to 83 in) long and often weighs 120 to 170 kg (260 to 370 lb). The tail adds another 12 to 19 cm ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) and shoulder height
4128-689: The Emperor of Exmoor prompted several MPs to sign an Early Day Motion with the intent to ban hunting of wild animals in Britain. A head said to resemble the Emperor's was hung in the Hartnoll Hotel in Bolham, Devon in December 2011. The head was removed after the hotel received threats. Red deer The red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer
4224-992: The Norwich Staghounds only hunted hinds (female red deer), and in 1950, at least eight hinds (some of which may have been pregnant) were known to be at large near Kimberley and West Harling ; they formed the basis of a new population based in Thetford Forest in Norfolk . Further substantial red deer herds originated from escapes or deliberate releases in the New Forest , the Peak District , Suffolk , Lancashire , Brecon Beacons , and North Yorkshire , as well as many other smaller populations scattered throughout England and Wales , and they are all generally increasing in numbers and range. A census of deer populations in 2007 and again in 2011 coordinated by
4320-623: The UK, indigenous populations occur in Scotland , the Lake District , and the south west of England (principally on Exmoor ). Not all of these are of entirely pure bloodlines, as some of these populations have been supplemented with deliberate releases of deer from parks, such as Warnham or Woburn Abbey , in an attempt to increase antler sizes and body weights. The University of Edinburgh found that, in Scotland, extensive hybridisation with
4416-500: The United Kingdom and Portugal, have resulted in an increase of red deer populations, while other areas, such as North Africa, have continued to show a population decline. The red deer is the fourth-largest extant deer species, behind the moose , elk , and sambar deer . It is a ruminant, eating its food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, like camels , goats , and cattle . European red deer have
4512-599: The Y-shaped antibody molecules consist of two heavy (or long) chains along the length of the Y, and two light (or short) chains at each tip of the Y. Camels, in addition to these, also have antibodies made of only two heavy chains, a trait that makes them smaller and more durable. These "heavy-chain-only" antibodies, discovered in 1993, are thought to have developed 50 million years ago, after camelids split from ruminants and pigs. Camels suffer from surra caused by Trypanosoma evansi wherever camels are domesticated in
4608-608: The aristocratic or poaching communities, and a licence was needed to sell it legally, but it is now widely available in supermarkets, especially in the autumn. The Queen followed the custom of offering large pieces of venison to members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and others. Some estates in the Scottish Highlands still sell deer-stalking accompanied by a gillie in the traditional way, on unfenced land, while others operate more like farms for venison. Venison
4704-513: The autumn, all red deer subspecies grow thicker coats of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Autumn is also when some of the stags grow their neck manes. The autumn/winter coats of most subspecies are most distinct. The Caspian red deer's winter coat is greyer and has a larger and more distinguished light rump-patch (like wapiti and some central Asian red deer) compared with the Western European red deer, which has more of
4800-719: The beginning of the Middle Pleistocene around 800,000 years ago. These earliest forms belonged to the palaeosubspecies Cervus elaphus acoronatus . Other palaeosubspecies are known, including those belonging to C. elaphus rianensis from the Middle Pleistocene of Italy, C. elaphus siciliae from the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of Sicily. The International Union for Conservation of Nature originally listed nine subspecies of red deer ( Cervus elaphus ): three as endangered , one as vulnerable , one as near threatened , and four without enough data to give
4896-503: The closely related American elk ( Cervus canadensis nelsoni ) introduced in Fiordland in 1921. Along with the other introduced deer species, they are, however, officially regarded as a noxious pest and are still heavily culled using professional hunters working with helicopters, or even poisoned. The first red deer to reach Australia were probably the six that Prince Albert sent in 1860 from Windsor Great Park to Thomas Chirnside, who
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#17327804172804992-402: The closely related sika deer has occurred. Several other populations have originated either with "carted" deer kept for stag hunts being left out at the end of the hunt, escapes from deer farms, or deliberate releases. Carted deer were kept by stag hunts with no wild red deer in the locality and were normally recaptured after the hunt and used again; although the hunts are called "stag hunts",
5088-768: The continent in the Atlas Mountains. As of the mid-1990s, Morocco , Tunisia , and Algeria were the only African countries known to have red deer. In the Netherlands, a large herd (about 3000 animals counted in late 2012) lives in the Oostvaardersplassen , a nature reserve . Ireland has its own unique subspecies. In France, the population is thriving, having multiplied five-fold in the last half-century, increasing from 30,000 in 1970 to around 160,000 in 2014. The deer has particularly expanded its footprint into forests at higher altitudes than before. In
5184-413: The copper industry of the region—attributed to the results of the campaign of Pharaoh Shoshenq I —raises the possibility that the two were connected, and that camels were introduced as part of the efforts to improve efficiency by facilitating trade. Desert tribes and Mongolian nomads use camel hair for tents, yurts , clothing, bedding and accessories. Camels have outer guard hairs and soft inner down, and
5280-477: The date of the earliest domestic camel in the southern Levant (and beyond) (e.g., Albright 1949: 207; Epstein 1971: 558–584; Bulliet 1975; Zarins 1989; Köhler-Rollefson 1993; Uerpmann and Uerpmann 2002; Jasmin 2005; 2006; Heide 2010; Rosen and Saidel 2010; Grigson 2012). Most scholars today agree that the dromedary was exploited as a pack animal sometime in the early Iron Age (not before the 12th century [BC]) and concludes: Current data from copper smelting sites of
5376-409: The early medieval period in Scotland, usually as prey animals for human or animal predators. In medieval hunting , the red deer was the most prestigious quarry, especially the mature stag, which in England was called a hart . Red deer are held in captivity for a variety of reasons. The meat of the deer, called venison , was until recently restricted in the United Kingdom to those with connections to
5472-466: The early releases, but South Australia's population, along with all others, is now largely recent farm escapees. This is having adverse effects on the integrity of wild herds, as now more and larger herds are being grown due to the superior genetics that have been attained by selective breeding. Wild red deer are a feral pest species in Australia, do considerable harm to the natural environment, and are
5568-807: The end of French rule over Algeria in 1962. In 1916, the British created the Imperial Camel Corps . It was originally used to fight the Senussi , but was later used in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I . The Imperial Camel Corps comprised infantrymen mounted on camels for movement across desert, though they dismounted at battle sites and fought on foot. After July 1918, the Corps began to become run down, receiving no new reinforcements, and
5664-399: The fibers may also be sorted by color and age of the animal. The guard hairs can be felted for use as waterproof coats for the herdsmen, while the softer hair is used for premium goods. The fiber can be spun for use in weaving or made into yarns for hand knitting or crochet. Pure camel hair is recorded as being used for western garments from the 17th century onwards, and from the 19th century
5760-477: The first successful one. There may be several more matings before the stag will seek out another mate in his harem. Females in their second autumn can produce one or very rarely two offspring per year. The gestation period is 240 to 262 days, and the offspring weigh about 15 kg (35 lb). After two weeks, calves are able to join the herd and are fully weaned after two months. The offspring will remain with their mothers for almost one full year, leaving around
5856-491: The flow of red blood cells during dehydration and makes them better at withstanding high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water. Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water consumption that would kill most other mammals. Their temperature ranges from 34 °C (93 °F) at dawn and steadily increases to 40 °C (104 °F) by sunset, before they cool off at night again. In general, to compare between camels and
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#17327804172805952-543: The fly fishing industry, being used to tie flies. Camel A camel (from Latin : camelus and ‹See Tfd› Greek : κάμηλος ( kamēlos ) from Ancient Semitic : gāmāl ) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock , they provide food ( camel milk and meat) and textiles (fiber and felt from camel hair ). Camels are working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are
6048-616: The fourth and fifth tines forming a "crown" or "cup" in larger males. Any tines in excess of the fourth and fifth tines grow radially from the cup, which are generally absent in the antlers of smaller red deer, such as Corsican red deer. Western European red deer antlers feature "bez" (second) tines that are either absent or smaller than the brow tines. However, bez tines occur frequently in Norwegian red deer. Antlers of Caspian red deer carry large bez tines and form less-developed cups than western European red deer, their antlers are thus more like
6144-463: The ground, which can heat up to 70 °C (158 °F). Dromedaries have a pad of thick tissue over the sternum called the pedestal . When the animal lies down in a sternal recumbent position, the pedestal raises the body from the hot surface and allows cooling air to pass under the body. Camels' mouths have a thick leathery lining, allowing them to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with nostrils that can close, form
6240-546: The humps and divided the rider's weight over the animal. In the seventh century BC the military Arabian saddle evolved, which again improved the saddle design slightly. Military forces have used camel cavalries in wars throughout Africa, the Middle East, and their use continues into the modern-day within the Border Security Force (BSF) of India . The first documented use of camel cavalries occurred in
6336-428: The karyotype consisted of one metacentric , three submetacentric, and 32 acrocentric autosomes. The Y is a small metacentric chromosome, while the X is a large metacentric chromosome. The hybrid camel , a hybrid between Bactrian and dromedary camels, has one hump, though it has an indentation 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) deep that divides the front from the back. The hybrid is 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) at
6432-459: The largest, the huge but small-antlered deer of the Carpathian Mountains ( C. e. elaphus ), weighing up to 500 kg (1,100 lb). At the other end of the scale, the Corsican red deer ( C. e. corsicanus ) weighs about 80 to 100 kg (180 to 220 lb), although red deer in poor habitats can weigh as little as 53 to 112 kg (120 to 250 lb). The males of many subspecies also grow
6528-793: The late Miocene, between 7.5 and 6.5 million years ago. During the Pleistocene, around 3 to 1 million years ago, the North American Camelidae spread to South America as part of the Great American Interchange via the newly formed Isthmus of Panama , where they gave rise to guanacos and related animals. Populations of Paracamelus continued to exist in the North American Arctic into the Early Pleistocene . This creature
6624-409: The llama, and partially cloven hooves . Like the mule , camas are sterile, despite both parents having the same number of chromosomes. The earliest known camel, called Protylopus , lived in North America 40 to 50 million years ago (during the Eocene ). It was about the size of a rabbit and lived in the open woodlands of what is now South Dakota . By 35 million years ago, the Poebrotherium
6720-490: The migration of humans from Asia at the end of the Pleistocene, around 13–11,000 years ago. An extinct giant camel species, Camelus knoblochi roamed Asia during the Late Pleistocene, before becoming extinct around 20,000 years ago. Like horses , camels originated in North America and eventually spread across Beringia to Asia. They survived in the Old World, and eventually humans domesticated them and spread them globally. Along with many other megafauna in North America,
6816-421: The only ungulates to mate in a sitting position. Camels do not directly store water in their humps; they are reservoirs of fatty tissue. When this tissue is metabolized, it yields a greater mass of water than that of the fat processed. This fat metabolization , while releasing energy, causes water to evaporate from the lungs during respiration (as oxygen is required for the metabolic process): overall, there
6912-547: The original wild camels were wiped out during the spread of the first indigenous peoples of the Americas from Asia into North America, 10 to 12,000 years ago; although fossils have never been associated with definitive evidence of hunting. Most camels surviving today are domesticated. Although feral populations exist in Australia , India and Kazakhstan, wild camels survive only in the wild Bactrian camel population of
7008-525: The other livestock, camels lose only 1.3 liters of fluid intake every day while the other livestock lose 20 to 40 liters per day. Maintaining the brain temperature within certain limits is critical for animals; to assist this, camels have a rete mirabile , a complex of arteries and veins lying very close to each other which utilizes countercurrent blood flow to cool blood flowing to the brain. Camels rarely sweat, even when ambient temperatures reach 49 °C (120 °F). Any sweat that does occur evaporates at
7104-542: The patriarchal narratives may refer, at least in some places, to the Bactrian camel", while noting that the camel is not mentioned in relationship to Canaan . Heide and Joris Peters reasserted that conclusion in their 2021 study on the subject. In 2009–2013, excavations in the Timna Valley by Lidar Sapir-Hen and Erez Ben-Yosef discovered what may be the earliest domestic camel bones yet found in Israel or even outside
7200-793: The primary consumer. In Russia , a medication produced from antler velvet is sold under the brand name Pantokrin ( Russian : Пантокри́н ; Latin : Pantocrinum ). The antlers themselves are also believed by East Asians to have medicinal purposes and are often ground up and used in small quantities. Historically, related deer species such as Central Asian red deer , wapiti, Thorold's deer , and sika deer have been reared on deer farms in Central and Eastern Asia by Han Chinese , Turkic peoples , Tungusic peoples , Mongolians , and Koreans . In modern times, western countries such as New Zealand and United States have taken to farming European red deer for similar purposes. Deer hair products are also used in
7296-445: The remaining members eat and rest. After the rut, females form large herds of up to 50 individuals. The newborn calves are kept close to the hinds by a series of vocalizations between the two, and larger nurseries have an ongoing and constant chatter during the daytime hours. When approached by predators, the largest and most robust females may make a stand, using their front legs to kick at their attackers. Guttural grunts and posturing
7392-400: The rut on the periphery of larger harems, as do stags over 11 years old. Young and old stags that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than those stags in their prime. Harem-holding stags rarely feed and lose up to 20% of their body weight. Stags that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period. Male European red deer have
7488-399: The rut, and along with other forms of posturing and antler fights, is a method used by the males to establish dominance. Roaring is most common during the early dawn and late evening, which is also when the crepuscular deer are most active in general. Female red deer reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age. Red deer mating patterns usually involve a dozen or more mating attempts before
7584-556: The shoulder and 2.32 m (7 ft 7 in) tall at the hump. It weighs an average of 650 kg (1,430 lb) and can carry around 400 to 450 kg (880 to 990 lb), which is more than either the dromedary or Bactrian can. According to molecular data, the wild Bactrian camel ( C. ferus ) separated from the domestic Bactrian camel ( C. bactrianus ) about 1 million years ago. New World and Old World camelids diverged about 11 million years ago. In spite of this, these species can hybridize and produce viable offspring. The cama
7680-418: The skin level rather than at the surface of their coat; the heat of vaporization therefore comes from body heat rather than ambient heat. Camels can withstand losing 25% of their body weight in water, whereas most other mammals can withstand only about 12–14% dehydration before cardiac failure results from circulatory disturbance. When the camel exhales, water vapor becomes trapped in their nostrils and
7776-532: The southeast Arabian Peninsula, with the Bactrian type later being domesticated around Central Asia. Martin Heide's 2010 work on the domestication of the camel tentatively concludes that humans had domesticated the Bactrian camel by at least the middle of the third millennium somewhere east of the Zagros Mountains , with the practice then moving into Mesopotamia. Heide suggests that mentions of camels "in
7872-409: The stags have antlers , which start growing in the spring and are shed each year, usually at the end of winter. Antlers typically measure 71 cm (28 in) in total length and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb), although large ones can grow to 115 cm (45 in) and weigh 5 kg (11 lb). Antlers, which are made of bone, can grow at a rate of 2.5 cm (1 in) a day. While an antler
7968-426: The story "a myth". The animal was believed to be around 12 years old at the time of the claim, but healthy. Older animals are sometimes culled , particularly when their incisor teeth are worn, making it difficult for them to survive the winter, but a former worker in deer management stated that "The Emperor was starting to get past his best, but he was definitely not at that stage yet." The same observer stated, on
8064-447: The summer, they migrate to higher elevations where food supplies are greater and better for the calving season. Until recently, biologists considered the red deer and elk or wapiti ( C. canadensis ) the same species, forming a continuous distribution throughout temperate Eurasia and North America. This belief was based largely on the fully fertile hybrids that can be produced under captive conditions. Genetic evidence clearly shows
8160-455: The summer. The European red deer is found in southwestern Asia (Asia Minor and Caucasus regions), North Africa, and Europe. The red deer is the largest nondomesticated land mammal still existing in Ireland . The Barbary stag (which resembles the western European red deer) is the only living member of the deer family native to Africa, with the population centred in the northwestern region of
8256-555: The time the next season's offspring are produced. The gestation period is the same for all subspecies. All red deer calves are born spotted, as is common with many deer species, and lose their spots by the end of summer. However, as in many species of Old World deer, some adults do retain a few spots on the backs of their summer coats. Red deer live over 20 years in captivity and in the wild they live 10 to 13 years, though some subspecies with less predation pressure average 15 years. Male red deer retain their antlers for more than half
8352-523: The topic of stalking during rut, "... we should maintain a standard and stop all persecution during this important time of the year", but the practice is legal and the importance of hunting, both in species management and to the local economy, is asserted by the national park authority. Deer stalking is legal in Britain under the Deer Act 1991 , although hunters must seek permission from the landowner. The heads can fetch over £1000. The possible death of
8448-833: The wapiti and red deer form two separate species. Another member of the red deer group which may represent a separate species is C. corsicanus . If so, C. corsicanus includes the subspecies C. e. barbarus (perhaps a synonym of C. e. corsicanus ), and is restricted to Maghreb in North Africa, Corsica , and Sardinia . A 2014 mitochondrial DNA study showed the internal phylogeny of Cervus to be as follows: C. elaphus ( European red deer ) [REDACTED] C. hanglu ( Hangul ) [REDACTED] C. albirostris ( Thorold's deer ) [REDACTED] C. nippon ( Sika deer ) [REDACTED] C. canadensis ( Wapiti ) [REDACTED] Rusa (outgroup) [REDACTED] Cervus elaphus appeared in Europe by
8544-664: The world, and resultantly camels have evolved trypanolytic antibodies as with many mammals. In the future, nanobody/ single-domain antibody therapy will surpass natural camel antibodies by reaching locations currently unreachable due to natural antibodies' larger size. Such therapies may also be suitable for other mammals. Tran et al. 2009 provides a new reference test for surra ( T. evansi ) of camel. They use recombinant Invariant Surface Glycoprotein 75 (rISG75, an Invariant Surface Glycoprotein ) and ELISA . The Tran test has high test specificity and appears likely to work just as well for T. evansi in other hosts, and for
8640-563: The world, the meat ( venison ) from red deer is used as a food source. The red deer is a ruminant , characterized by a four-chambered stomach. Genetic evidence indicates that the red deer, as traditionally defined, is a species group , rather than a single species, though exactly how many species the group includes remains disputed. The ancestor of the red deer probably originated in central Asia. Although at one time red deer were rare in parts of Europe, they were never close to extinction. Reintroduction and conservation efforts, such as in
8736-401: The year, and are less gregarious and less likely to group with other males when they have antlers. The antlers provide self-defence, as does a strong front-leg kicking action performed by both sexes when attacked. Once the antlers are shed, stags tend to form bachelor groups which allow them to cooperatively work together. Herds tend to have one or more members watching for potential danger, while
8832-437: The year. During the mating season, called the rut , mature stags compete for the attentions of the hinds and will then try to defend the hinds they attract. Rival stags challenge opponents by belling and walking in parallel. This allows combatants to assess each other's antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither stag backs down, a clash of antlers can occur, and stags sometimes sustain serious injuries. Red deer are among
8928-579: Was disbanded in 1944. Bactrian camels were used by Romanian forces during World War II in the Caucasian region. At the same period the Soviet units operating around Astrakhan in 1942 adopted local camels as draft animals due to shortage of trucks and horses, and kept them even after moving out of the area. Despite severe losses, some of these camels ended up as far west as to Berlin itself . The Bikaner Camel Corps of British India fought alongside
9024-624: Was formally disbanded in 1919. In World War I, the British Army also created the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps , which consisted of a group of Egyptian camel drivers and their camels. The Corps supported British war operations in Sinai , Palestine, and Syria by transporting supplies to the troops. The Somaliland Camel Corps was created by colonial authorities in British Somaliland in 1912; it
9120-545: Was starting a herd at Werribee Park , south west of Melbourne in Victoria. Further introductions were made in New South Wales , Queensland , South Australia , and Western Australia . Today, red deer in Australia range from Queensland south through New South Wales into Victoria and across to South Australia, with the numbers increasing. The Queensland, Victorian and most New South Wales strains can still be traced to
9216-602: Was the size of a goat and had many more traits similar to camels and llamas. The hoofed Stenomylus , which walked on the tips of its toes, also existed around this time, and the long-necked Aepycamelus evolved in the Miocene . The split between the tribes Camelini , which contains modern camels and Lamini , modern llamas , alpacas , vicuñas , and guanacos , is estimated to have occurred over 16 million years ago. The ancestor of modern camels, Paracamelus , migrated into Eurasia from North America via Beringia during
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