Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus 1758

Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., Vol. 1: 65.

Type Locality: "Habitat in Africae desertis arenosis siticulosis", identified as "deserts of Libya and Arabia" by Thomas (1911 a:150); based on domesticated stock .

Vernacular Names: One-humped Camel.

Synonyms: Camelus aegyptiacus Kolenati 1847; Camelus africanus (Gloger 1841); Camelus arabicus Desmoulins 1823; Camelus dromas Pallas 1811; Camelus dromos Kerr 1792; Camelus ferus Falk 1786; Camelus lukius Kolenati 1847; Camelus polytrichus Kolenati 1847; Camelus turcomanicus J. Fischer 1829; Camelus vulgaris Kolenati 1847 .

Distribution: Extinct in the wild; domesticated from wild populations which presumably had become restricted to the S Arabian Peninsula; domesticated in Senegal and Mauritania to Somalia and Kenya, throughout N Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, and Iran to NW India; feral populations in Australia.

Discussion: Produces viable hybrids with bactrianus (see comments therein). Bohlken (1961) considered dromedarius a synonym of bactrianus . Reviewed by Köhler-Rollefson (1991, Mammalian Species, 375). Biology reviewed by Gauthier-Pilters and Innis Dagg (1981). For history of domestication, see R. T. Wilson (1984).