In the high desert, the best form of transport for merchants and travellers is by camel. The Zamian camel is a tall, rugged animal that has been domesticated for centuries and some tribes even race the strongest camels, wagering great sums on the contests. As a beast of burden, the camel is very capable of transporting a merchants entire annual wares cargo across the desert in a few days, moving on well-known trails between oases.
At the annual water festival, camels are ritually washed and brushed and dressed in fine leather harnesses, offering tourists rides around the city of Akhang-Ahvar. Smaller related species live in the less arid lands, such as the sure-footed alpaca in the mountains and the woolly llama, bred for its luxurious coat from which fine woollen clothing is woven. Camels are also used for their milk and their meat by the natives of Zami Ramal and the tough but soft hide is tanned for valuable leather.
Basic Information
Zamian camels are a four-legged ungulate mammals, having a single hump, which stores fat, not water, and there are three toes on each foot. The body is covered in short fur and the males carry a mane of longer dark hair along the neck. Their diet is vegetarian and domesticated camels survive on dried corn cobs, hay, water and palm nuts. Males and females are of equal size and musculature, weighing up to 550lb and a single male will control a harem of up to ten females. The long eyelashes and sealable nostrils protect against the constant desert dust and sand. Domesticated camels will live for up to 50 years. They can run at about 30mph in open terrain and can carry up to 300lb for a day.
Zamian camels breed once per year and young are rounded up from the wild ranging herds in an annual corral by rangers on horseback. Females come into season a few days after giving birth, usually just before the waters return to the deserts. Gestation is 10 months and females will separate themselves from the herd to find a watering hole at which they can give birth and rest.
The Zamian camel reaches sexual maturity at about 7 years old and young males are chased away from the herds by the alpha male camel at this age. As they mature, the male camels grow a "calling sac" in the throat which is inflated to amplify their bellowing when calling in the seasonal rut. The hump is fully formed by about 10 years of age.
Additional Information
Zamian camels have an excellent sense of smell and can detect water up to 1 mile distant. They can also sense a sandstorm approaching and will instinctively sit down and close eyes and nostrils when they do so. They are reasonably intelligent and can learn many commands from a good trainer but they can be bad-tempered and willful, particularly as they grow past 30 years of age.
Comments