eXtension

Hello-- I’m a curriculum writer and educator. On many websites, including...

Asked April 11, 2016, 6:44 PM EDT

Hello--
I’m a curriculum writer and educator. On many websites, including the website of the San Diego Zoo, I’ve found the following statement:
“Camels are very social and like to greet each other by blowing in each other's faces.”
It’s always stated like this but with no supporting details. I can’t find this fact in any academic article or study.
My question to you is: Is it true?
Thank you! I very much appreciate your willingness to answer questions from the public.
Ellen Jackson

Santa Barbara County California other mammals animals

2 Responses

Ellen,

Admittedly, this is the first time anyone has asked me this question. I think your best source for such social behavior would be to contact the individual at the SD Zoo who is the care taker for the camels. I doubt you going to find much in the literature.

Thanks, Greg. I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. But I've tried to do that and have been unsuccessful. I got a partial answer from the person in charge of camels who works for the Texas Camel Corps. He more or less validated the blowing in the nose behavior. Also, some people who know horses have assured me that horses do the same thing.

Apparently there's not much about camels in the academic literature. But thanks for trying.