Cama

Cama is the name given to the hybrid offspring of a male dromedary camel and a female llama, a cross achieved through artificial insemination rather than natural mating because of the size difference and behavioral incompatibility between the two parent species. The first cama, named Rama, was born on January 14, 1998, at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai, the product of a research program aiming to combine the higher wool production of the llama with the size, strength and cooperative temperament of a camel. An adult cama typically weighs between 81 and 453 kilograms and stands 125 to 144 centimeters at the shoulder, with a fur length of about 6 centimeters, and it is capable of surviving extended periods with minimal water intake in the manner of its camel parent while carrying loads of 25 to 30 kilograms. The hybrid has remained a rare, research-driven curiosity rather than a working breed in ordinary use, and the original cama Rama was noted to be temperamentally difficult despite reaching sexual maturity around four years of age.