Abdominal Circumference at the Hump as an Index of Body Weight in Dromedary Camels

摘要

Eighty-one adult male dromedary camels were weighed and measured to determine the relationship between girth measurement and body weight. Abdominal circumference at the peak of the hump was strongly linearly correlated with body weight (r=0.80, P<0.001). Circumferences measured at the anterior thorax (r=0.59), base of the neck (r=0.40) and upper thigh (r=0.40) did not correlate well with body weight. Mean weight of the camels was 416 + or - 52 kg and mean circumference at the hump was 231 + or - 14 cm. The study established the strong linear correlation between body weight and girth at the hump, enabling this simple measurement to substitute for weight determination. Successive measurements on the same animal would sensitivity determine changes in body eight in adult animals. For the specific population studied, body weight in kg(y) was found to be related to girth at the hump in cm(x) by the equation y = 3.06x - 290.6.