Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus, family Camelidae, distinguished by the fatty humps on their backs, with three living species: the dromedary, Camelus dromedarius, making up 94 percent of the world's camel population; the Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus, about 6 percent; and the endangered wild Bactrian camel, Camelus ferus, with roughly 1,000 individuals remaining. Camel milk is a staple food of desert nomad tribes, sometimes eaten as a meal in itself, with a nomad able to live on it alone for almost a month, and it can be made into yogurt, butter after souring, and, through modern processing, cheese. About 3.3 million camels are slaughtered annually worldwide for meat, with the brisket, ribs, loin and especially the hump considered the preferred cuts, and the dromedary the preferred breed for meat production.