Greyhump Camel

Greyhump Camel
Base Information
Classification	Herbivore-grazer
Terrain	Clear
Locomotion	Walker (motile)
Size	2.5m (500kg)
Speed	65kph
Strength	Strong
Social Structure	Large Herd
Weapons	Body
Armor	Skin
Source
Homeworld	Terra/Sol (Solomani Rim 1827)
Multi-world	Yes
Canon	No
Extinct	Extant
Reference

The Greyhump Camel (usually just called a camel) is found throughout the Distant Fringe. The species is descended from Terran Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) grown in GenPods. The Greyhump Camel is versatile, adaptable and fills a wide variety of roles, particularly in poorly developed or technologically backward areas. It is named for the characteristic grey colour of the fur covering its hump.

Physiology & Ecology

The Terran ancestors of the Greyhump Camel evolved in arid plains and hills terrain. It is a large standard grazer. It is a bilateral quadraped classified HBS-T-LN-LN-N: Greyhump Camels have a long head, a muscular neck, and a deep but narrow torso with long paired legs at either end. They have a fatty hump on their backs and a very small tail. Their primary weapon is their body. The body is characterised by a bony interior and is covered by furry skin: the coat is generally brown but can range from black to nearly white, though the hump is always a shade of grey. Interior fluids are blood. The Greyhump Camel is a clear terrain walker. Based on its Profile: typical, standard and large, it is typically 2.5m long, approximately 0.5 cubic meters, weighs around 500kg, and stands about 2.5m tall at the shoulder – the neck and head, when held upright, add another meter to its height. The Greyhump Camel's speed is rated as standard: maximum speed is 65kph (galloping). It may also trot on firm surfaces (at around 15kph) for periods of around an hour. It has a typical Endurance of 8.

Greyhump Camels stay together in herds led by a dominant male – inferior males generally form their own "bachelor" herds. Their primary instinct is to flee from danger if they are startled or alone, though they find courage in numbers and large groups may choose to stand their ground rather than run. If Greyhump Camels fight they spit, bite, butt, body-slam and kick at foes. Mostly, though, they are social creatures with a sense of curiosity - they greet one another with close physical contact, sniffing and facial blowing, licking, and gurgling calls. Domesticated animals extend such behaviour to the sophonts that they exist alongside of. They will investigate anything that catches their interest, often choosing to test it through licking and biting – their mouth is their primary manipulator.

Life Cycle & Reproduction

There are two genders: male (bulls) and female (cows). Calves are born after a gestation period of approximately 13 months. Calves are able to stand within minutes of birth and can gallop within a day. A Greyhump Camel grows from a calf to an adult-sized animal over approximately 2 years, and continues to strengthen and develop until it reaches sexual maturity at around 7 years of age. A Greyhump Camel will typically live for 40–50 years.

Diet & Trophics

The Greyhump Camel is primarily a browser. It has thick lips, broad teeth and a tough mouth and tongue, allowing it to break down and consume vegetation that other herbivores would struggle with. Greyhump Camels aren't fussy about what they eat; in the wild their diet consists of hardy shrubs, foliage, dry grasses, and the flora of semi-arid and desert terrain. They will also happily consume succulent plants, if any can be had.

Physiological adaptations allow Greyhump Camels to go for long periods without water – periods in excess of 100 days have been recorded. When they do drink, they can consume as much as 100 liters in one go. Their internal functions serve to minimise water loss and they are able to gain moisture from the flora that they consume. Their characteristic hump contains around 30kg of fat, which can be broken down into water and energy when resources are scarce.

History & Background

The Greyhump Camel is edible by humans; its flesh tastes pleasant. The skin can be used to make leather and the hair is used for a variety of purposes, perhaps most famously as bristles for paintbrushes.

The very first Greyhump Camels within the Distant Fringe were grown in GenPods from embryos that had been carried aboard the Last Armada. Greyhump Camels – familiar, hardy and reliable Terran creatures with relatively similar needs to humans – became ubiquitous within the Second and Third Confederations and throughout the Distant Fringe region, on some worlds far exceeding the numbers of Horvath's Ponies. Large numbers of Greyhump Camels became feral during the Dark Age - their descendants still roam wild on many worlds.

The grey fur covering the hump is almost certainly the result of genetic modifications and selective breeding carried out on the first generations of ancestor animals: documents from as early as 2375AD refer to them as "Greyhumps". The reason why it was done, though, remains unclear.

Trained Greyhump Camels

Greyhump Camels are relatively easy to train and are generally placid and docile, though their temperament and cooperativeness varies with individual creatures.

Pack animal: a Greyhump Camel can be comfortably loaded with up to 150kgs and can carry its burden at a speed of around 5kph for up to 8 hours. In the wild, Greyhump Camels migrate between feeding grounds by following closely behind one another, an adaptation to difficult terrain and to environmental conditions where visibility may be severely limited. It is this trait that sophonts have expoited: Greyhumps are instinctive Pack animals, naturally forming long trains that need only minimal attendance.

Draft animal: Greyhump Camels do not generally respond well to being hitched to a wagon and may behave erratically while harnessed. If they can be persuaded between the shafts they can pull a load of up to 500kg for up to 8 hours. Greyhump Camels cannot work as teams: animals hitched together bicker and squabble for dominance and constantly change their pace. A wagon-hitched Greyhump Camel is capable of a burst of speed (up to 30kph) for around 8 minutes.

Riding animal: the Greyhump Camel can carry a rider and their personal equipment (to a maximum of 150kg) at a speed of around 5kph for up to 8 hours. A ridden Greyhump Camel is capable of a burst of speed (galloping, at up to 65kph) for around 8 minutes. They are not good jumpers, though they may clear low obstacles (typically less than 0.5m). A ridden Greyhump Camel requires an appropriate saddle and tack.

References & Contributors / Sources

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science