Camel plush might seem like an unusual choice for a soft toy, but if the recipient (or purchaser) happen to be an animal lover, it's not unusual at all. Even though they may love all animals, perhaps their tastes run more along the lines of the exotic, and if that's the case, camels fit very well into that category.
Camels are ungulates which means hoofed animals. They have even toes whose weight is distributed evenly amongst their third and fourth toe when they walk. The two species of camel are the Dromedary (or Arabian camel) which has one hump, and the Bactrian camel which has two humps. Contrary to popular belief, camels do not store water in their humps, even though they can go up to two weeks without it. In fact, their humps are a reservoir of fatty tissue, while water is actually stored in their blood.
Online stores happen to have both species of camel plush. The single humped camel (dromedary) stuffed animal is a full 20 inches long lying down. He is quite lovely and has soft brown plush fur. Then there's an amazing two-humped (Bactrian) camel plush, that stands more than three feet tall! He is likely the best plush camel you will ever come across. Like teddy bears, camel plush can be a lifelong friend and companion and with camel plush of this size, they really will feel like your friend.
The 14 million Dromedary camels that exist, most of which are domesticated, can be found in Somalia, Sudan, Mauritania, as well as other nearby countries. The Bactrian camel, however, does not have nearly as many of the species left as the Dromedary; it is estimated that just 1.4 million Bactrian camels are left, most of which are domesticated. There may still be, however, about 1000 wild Bactrian camels roaming the Gobi desert in China and Mongolia.
Camels were first domesticated by humans around 3,500 years ago. Both camel species are still used for their rich milk which is actually higher in nutrients than cow's milk. They stand six feet high at the shoulder when fully mature and 12 feet at the hump. In short bursts they can run up to 40 miles an hour and can sustain speeds of 25 miles per hour.
While camels can live until they are 60 years of age, camel plush will age with you, for as long as you choose to have it. If you and your camel plush should ever be separated, it would likely go on to another owner, hopefully for as long as they live. Either way, a camel plush is a worthwhile soft toy to add to any stuffed animal collection, or, if a collection does not already exist, a great first start would be camel plush stuffed animals.
Angeline Hope is a collector of giant plush toy animals. You can view a selection of giant stuffed animals including plush camel toys at MyBigPlush.
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