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A Camel (Latin: Camelus and Greek: Kamēlos) 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 (fibre and felt from Camel hair).
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Camel are working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are 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 word Camel 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 Camel (the above three species), along with the “New World” Camelids: the Llama, Alpac, Guanaco and the Vicuña, which belong to the separate tribe Lamini.
Camelids originated in North America during the Eocene, with the ancestor of modern Camel, migrating across the Bering land bridge into Asia during the late Miocene, around 6 million years ago.
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 Camel can be 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 Camel 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 hoof provides supplemental grip for varying soil sediments.
The male dromedary Camel has an organ called 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 mouth. The Camel is a seasonal breeder and their reproduction is different as compared to other livestock as both male and female come into heat during the breeding season. The terminology used in case of males is “Thoot”, “Rutt” or “Musth”. Usually the heat period is from November to March. After a gestation period of 12 to 14 months, the female Camel gives birth to one or rarely two newborns. An expectant mother removes herself from the herd when she is about to give birth. She finds a private area covered with vegetation for her calving spot. Camel calves are born at an average birth weight of 79 pounds. Calves are able to stand and run soon after birth and will nurse from their mother for a year and a half.
Camel 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 is a net decrease in water.
Camel 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. When the Camel exhales, water vapour becomes trapped in their nostrils and is reabsorbed into the body as a means to conserve water.
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 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.
Dromedary Camel mostly live in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Maghreb, Middle East and South Asia. The Horn region alone has the largest concentration of Camel in the world. They provide nomadic people in Somalia and Ethiopia with milk, food, and transportation. Over one million dromedary Camel are estimated to be feral in Australia, descended from those introduced as a method of transport in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A small population of introduced Camel, dromedaries and Bactrians, wandered through Southwestern United States after having been imported in the 19th century as part of the U.S. Camel Corps experiment.
Camel taxidermy is the art of preserving the Camel’s skin and other body parts to produce lifelike sculptures for display, either at home as a hunting trophy or in museums for educational purposes. Skin is preserved and mounted on an artificial armature to display the specimen.
The contemporary English word “taxidermy” is derived from the Greek terms taxis, meaning “movement,” and derma, meaning “skin,” thereby combining these two meanings. This is why, in a broad sense, taxidermy is synonymous with “the motion of skin.”
For expert taxidermists, skills in sculpture, painting, and sketching are just as important as those in carpentry, woodworking, tanning, moulding, and casting.
The remaining parts of the body are synthetic replacements for real organs and tissues. Polyurethane foam is used for the manikin or form, which includes the anatomy of every muscle and vein; glass is used for the eyes; clay is used for the eyelids; for the nose and mouth the foam of the mannequin is sculptured.
Works of taxidermy can be found in a wide range of environments, including museums, classrooms, galleries, stores, restaurants, and private households, due to the complexity and delicate craftsmanship involved in the taxidermy process.
Thorough preparation is the key factor to ensuring a high-quality final product. All hides are tanned and oiled using the world’s very best available chemicals and processes to ensure permanence and longevity. Forms are selected to ensure the best fit and posture will be altered to suit you, the client’s preference without additional cost. Natural habitat bases are custom-made for full mount trophies without additional cost. Only the finest materials and 40 years of professional experience are used in defining your trophies in a whole new way. The final trophies are almost Life-Formed. When the restoration is required, every effort is made to repair cuts and abrasions, and to minimise bullet damage. Natural scarring is kept unless otherwise requested.
When making an Camel mount, careful planning is key to getting a high-quality result. When tanning and oiling the skins, only the best chemicals and methods are used. This ensures that the skins will last for many years.
Your preferred form for the Camel will be chosen after taking your measurements into account, and the posture of your form will be changed at no extra cost. Full-mount Camel trophies come with bases made to look like the animal’s natural habitat and made just for the Camel mount.
The taxidermy process at Life-Form takes your prized Camel trophy and gives it a whole new meaning by using only the best materials and drawing on more than 40 years of experience in the field.
When repair is needed, every effort is made to fix cuts and scrapes and lessen bullet damage. Existing scars are left alone unless the client asks for them to be taken away.
Using the helpful tips below, it’s important to take extra care of your prized Camel trophy to make sure it stays in perfect shape for years to come.
The pricing of any trophy is subject to the costing stipulated per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies and preferred mounting options, along with additional requirements.
Should you wish to receive a quotation prior to the hunt, the taxidermist can generate such for you. Please contact [email protected]
Taxidermy is an art form that involves a complicated step-by-step process to make sure that each trophy looks just right and is of a high enough quality that it will last your whole life.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal might range from days to weeks, and possibly several months, depending on the quantity of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and volumes of client trophies to be produced, simultaneously, per production schedule.
This depends largely on the “what, how, when” factors. A taxidermy order also only becomes available for production scheduling upon receipt of the required deposit and trophy mounting instructions.