NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK HOLLISTER 297 



THE CAMEL TBIBE 



Whether any of the wild camels of Central Asia are really native 

 wild animals or not is a moot question. Many naturalists believe 

 that the Bactrian or two-humped camels now found in a wild state 

 in remote parts are merely the feral descendants of stray domestic 

 animals, after the manner of the wild Spanish horses formerly 

 occurring in the southwestern United States. Camels are popularly 

 associated with hot barren deserts, but the two-humped camel 

 (Camelus bacti*ianus) is used in great numbers on the bleak steppes 

 of Siberia, where the temperature at times is anything but moderate. 

 Great caravans of these famous beasts of burden carry the rough 

 felt and other products of the desert tribes and Mongolians north- 

 ward to the Siberian Eailway. The specimens of this species kept 

 in the park are much more hardy than the Arabian camels. 



The dromedary, or Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) , is the 

 species so much used as a pack and saddle animal in northern Africa. 

 A drove of 75 camels of this species was introduced by the United 

 States Government from Smyrna into the Southwestern States in 

 1856, and others were obtained 10 years later. Escaped animals 

 from these introductions frequented the Arizona deserts in a wild 

 state up to about 1893, when the last survivors were killed. Both 

 species of camels have bred in the park. 



From the evidence provided by fossil remains, America was at 

 one time inhabited by many camels and camel-like animals, which 

 occupied the country even so far to the north as the arctic portions 

 of Alaska. The sole remaining species are the forms of the genus 

 Lama found in South America. 



The wild llama, or guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is found in herds 

 from Ecuador to southern South America and ranges from sea level 

 in Patagonia to high altitudes in the Andes. It differs conspicuously 

 from the Old World camels in its small size and the absence of 

 humps on the back. It was early domesticated by the natives of 

 South America and two general types or breeds have been evolved — 

 the domestic llama, kept chiefly as a beast of burden ; and the alpaca, 

 bred for its wool-like coat. The wild guanacos are of uniform 

 coloration, but the domestic llama and alpaca are variegated brown, 

 white, and black, or of solid colors. 



All of the forms of the llama breed freely in the National Zoologi- 

 cal Park, and the young are graceful, attractive animals, much ad- 

 mired by visitors. • 



The vicuna (Lama vicugna) is a smaller species than the guanaco, 

 with a distribution limited to the higher Andes of Bolivia, Ecuador, 

 and Peru. It has never been domesticated, but the animals in the 

 park have been gentle and do not seem to suffer from confinement 



