Dromedaries on their way to Mharch Oasis in Sahara. I couldn't see any human presence, but all dromedaries are domesticated
A little dromedary fowl along our route. They have longer legs than the two-humped camels and of course just one hump
The dromedary camels being prepared for another day of riding into the desert
While I was taking photos, my driver waited patiently with his friend, the camel
True Bactrian Camels near Khongoryn Els, Gobi Desert, Mongolia
The Bactrrian Camels have two humps. They are not as easily domesticated as the dromedaries
Wild Bactrian camels in the background of the desert in the Gobi
A skeleton of a Bactrian camel in the Gobi
This was a camel graveyard. The camels went here to die
Vicunas are small camelids like Llamas and Alpacas but wild. These are photographed in Argentina at an altitude of 3,200 metres.
Vicunas at the vallley of Calalaste, Argentina. I waited patiently with my large tele lens (300 mm) until their curiosity brought them near enough for me to catch them checking out what I was doing
Vicunas at the Calalaste Gorge
Vicuna running in the snow near Mina Casualid, Argentina
Domesticated llamas with their black heads. Near Salar de Positos, Argentina
Wild horses at sunrise at Khongoryn Els, Gobi, Mongolia
Horse and rider are one on the Mongolian ateppe
Wild horses nr Aus, Namibia. None knows for sure how the wild horses got to Namibia. They have different genes from the normal tame horses. They exist only in a limited area in the Namibian semidesert. Here two stallions are fighting each other
Young horses at Aus playing
Zebras fighting at Wolvedans, Namibia
This is the Parina chica or Andean Flamingo at Laguna Grande in Argentina. I loved the position of the three flamingos. Laguna Grande's rim is covered with salt
Flamingo at Laguna Chaxa, Chile
Parina Chica or the Andean Flamingo at Laguna Grande, in Argentina, 4,300m alt.
Parina chica or Andean Flamingo at Laguna Grande. Carrying the camera with a 600 mm lens was heavy at 4,300m
Laguna Hedionda, Bolivia. The lake is very salty and although it is very cold it doesn't freeze
Pelicans at Walvis Bay, Namibia
The pelicans were taking off, Walvis Bay, Namibia
Guayatas, Andean geese, between Molinos and Cafayate, Argentina
Rock hyraxes living in the boulders below a quiver tree. The closest relatives to the Rock Hyraxes are the elephants, although the size is slightly different! Kalahari Desert, Namibia
Quiver tree at sunrise in the Kalahari semi-desert. The trees can grow up to 9m tall. The rock hyraxes in the previous picture lived in the boulders underneath the trees.
Springbok near Soussusvlei, Namibia. Notice also the red sand in the background
Springbok in Namibia
Springbok in Namibia
Ostrich at Soussusvlei
Ostriches and Oryx at Soussusvlei, Namibia with the sand dunes in the background
Oryx at Wolvedans, Namibia
Oryx near the Kalahari Desert, Namibia
Fighting Oryxes. Wolvedans, Namibia
Fighting ground squirrels. Wolvedans, Namibia
Fox near Mina Casualidad, Chile. with Salar de Arizaro in the background 3,800m altitude
And I finish this gallery with two predators. First the cheetah that can run faster than any other land animal
The cheetah hunts mainly the antelope species like the springbok and oryxes that I have shown in previous pictures
Cheetah near Windhoek
And finally the king of the animal kingdom; a lion at Armani Lodge nr Windhoek, Namibia
The Dromedary or Arabian camel is the animal most often associated with deserts. Its origin was probably the Arabian Peninsula but in its domesticated form it now occurs widely in North America and the Middle East and have been introduced to the Australian desert. They have one hump on its back, whereas the Bactrian camel has two humps.
They are now completely domesticated. They are used to transport goods and to ride upon in the desert and have been used thousands of years in warfare. God have really designed them for the desert (Darwin has a slightly different theory!). They can close their nostrils and they have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to face sandstorms. Their kidneys are specially adapted so they can lose more water than other species.
The hump can store nearly 40 kg of fat which they can break down into water and energy. They can walk more than 150 km without water and they rarely sweat.
The Bactrian camel has two humps and longer hair and shorter legs. They can withstand a harsher climate with hotter summers and colder winters. They exist mainly in Central and East Asia. It exists both as wild and domesticated.
Another member of the camelid family is the vicuna that lives in South America. It is the wild ancestor of the alpaca. The vicuna weighs around 50 kg, whereas the dromedaries and Bactrian camels are both around 500 kg. They are native to Peru, northern Chile, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. They live mainly at altitudes above 3,000 metres. They feed on the grassy plains in the Andes.
The vicunas are very shy and they have an excellent hearing, so to approach them for photography demands patience. But they are also curious, which helped me waiting for them to approach me and take a look at the funny guy sitting with his camera. But more often I was helped by a large 600 mm zoom lens!
The Mongolians owe their superiority during the 12th and 13th century to the horse and their ability to move fast, at a time when medieval Europe had slow-moving knights in shining armour. The cavalry of Genghis Khan conquered land from present day Mongolia to Hungary and conquered a land mass larger than any other nation ever had or would in the future control.
