FORDHAM — The first camel born at the Bronx Zoo in decades made its public debut Friday, said the zoo’s Wildlife Conservation Society.
The zoo welcomed the male dromedary camel calf to the family on March 16, 2012, and it was born at 80 pounds. Zoo officials say he could grow to be over 1,500 pounds as an adult.
Visitors can stop by and see the young one in the Wild Asia exhibit, where he stays close to his mother's side, the zoo said.
The fact that this little guy is the first camel born at the zoo since 1982 isn't his only special feature. While most camels are tan or brown, the new calf is completely white, and is the only one in the zoo’s herd of that color.
The one-humped calf joins the zoo’s large camel family, which includes 12 dromedary camels, and one bactrian camel.
Dromedary camels are native to Northern Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. They have one hump, from which they can be distinguished from their two-humped cousin, the bactrian camel.
