This document discusses reproduction in camels. It covers the breeding season, signs of estrus, gestation period, parturition, and pregnancy diagnosis methods for camels. Key points include: - Camels are seasonal breeders, with males and females coming into heat from November to March. Gestation lasts 390 days. - Males emit a black pigment from pole glands during rutting season to attract females. Signs of estrus in females include excitement and swollen vulva. - Pregnancy can be diagnosed using physical exams, chemical tests on urine or mucus, or ultrasound scanning of the abdomen. Parturition typically lasts 5-10 hours, with the calf standing within 6-8

1. Reproduction in Camel
Dr A. H. Fallah Rad
DVM, PhD
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2. Dromedary camel
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3. Bactrian camel
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4. South American Camels; llama
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5. South American Camels; alpaca
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6. South American Camels; vicuna
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7. South American Camels; guanaco
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8. Reproduction
• Camel is a seasonal breeder as both male and female
come into heat during the breeding season.
• The terminology used in case of males is “Thoot”, “tut”
or “Masth”.
• Usually the heat period is from November to March.
• The female camel matures at an age of 3-4 years while
males mature at the age of 4-5 years.
• During heat period the male emits a black pigment
from his pole gland (skin gland) which helps him to
attract the females.
• The pole glands are symmetrical bodies situated
subcutaneously on the back of the neck, behind the
ears of the male camel.
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9. Pole glands
• An active gland, as observed between
September and March, with a peak period in
November and December.
• Consists of sharply demarcated lobules
separated by thin strands of connective tissue.
• Alveoli and proximal parts of excretory ducts are
therefore secretory.
• In the inactive gland there is an apparent
increase in the interlobular stroma with massive
deposition of collagenous fibres.
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10. Pole glands
• In the inactive gland there is an apparent increase in
the interlobular stroma with massive deposition of
collagenous fibres.
• The alveoli are lined with squamous to low columnar
epithelium.
• The structural appearance in the castrate animal is
essentially the same as that of the inactive gland except
for its remarkable amount of interlobular tissue.
• Both delta 5-3 beta- and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid
dehydrogenases have been demonstrated
histochemically in the secretory portions of the gland.
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11. Pole glands
• Their activity is restricted to the period between
September and March and is comparatively
highest during November and December.
• It is concluded that the morphological, enzymatic
and secretory activities of the poll gland are
correlated with testicular activity and rutting
behaviour.
• It is suggested that the poll glands could be a
source of sex pheromones.
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12. Reproduction
• The male camel has a specialized inflatable
diverticulum of the soft palate.
• When the animal is angry or excited, this
structure protrudes out from the mouth.
• The diverticulum is extruded when the camel is
physically restrained and protrudes temporarily.
• The adult camel weighs 450-750 kg.
• The gestation period is 390 days with average
birth weight 35-40 kg.
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13. Mating
• Generally one male can cover 20 to 50 female
camels.
• In one breeding season, more than 50 services
should not be allowed.
• The duration of estrus cycle varies from 16-22
days and the duration of heat is for 3-4 days.
• Camels generally do not come into heat in the
summer season.
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14. Sings of estrus in camel
Excitement
Bleating
Want of male
Swollen Vulva with slimy discharge
Tries to smell urine and external genitalia of
male and raises the tail.
May show homosexual tendencies, also comes
near the male and allows him to mount.
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15. Natural mating
• In natural mating, the female sits down and keeps
the external genitalia open, thus allowing the male to
copulate.
• The whole sexual act takes about 20 minutes and is
accompanied by gurgling and frothing by male and
bleating by the females.
• If conception has taken place then after 15 to 25
days the female camel, shows cocking of the tail (G.
S. Rathore, 1986).
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16. Rutting in camel
• In males the sexual instincts are suppressed
for a long period throughout the year.
• After 8 years of age the male camel shows full
‘tut’ or masti and is then used for breeding.
• But will remain sexually silent throughout rest
of the year.
• Tut is generally seen in the latter half of the
cold Season (December to March; 3-6 months)
when the grazing conditions are optimum.
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18. Signs of rut
• The strongest and vigorous male expresses ‘rut’
while the other male camels remain silent. The
signs are as follows:
• Loss of hair
• Going off feed, losing condition and tucked (highly
powerfull) to a great extent
• Diarrhoea and frequent urination
• Excitement in which male camel produces gurgling
sound with grinding of teeth.
• Wind sucking, bleating and escapes confinement
looking for a female.
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19. Continue…..
• Uncontrollable and throws out soft palate
from mouth with protruding tongue.
• After expression of tut, the tail of the male
should be tied to avoid spoiling of urine, feces
and semen.
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20. Pregnancy
• 99% of pregnancies occur in left horn.
• The incidence of double ovulation is 14% but, twin
births rate is 0.4%
• Embryos develop initially in both horns but, one in
right horn dies when it reaches a size of 2-3 cms.
• There is no record of freemartinsm in camels.
• The posterior presentation predominates (54-66%).
• There is no tendency in late pregnancy for the amnion
to separate from the allantochorion (as it may happen
in the cows).
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21. Pregnancy diagnosis
• Physical changes, which are most common:
 Cocking of tail, Increase in body weight,
 Dark yellow coloured urine, pH of urine becomes 3.10, Specific
gravity 1.038 to 1.086.
 Vaginal folds become prominent,
• Rectal palpation by 60 days.
• Chemical test: Two tests are generally carried out in camels:
• Cuboni test, a pregnancy test for use in mares and based on detection
of estrogens in the urine. Suitable for use only in mares bred for at
least 5 months
• Barium chloride test,
• Biological test include gonadotrophins determination
• Vaginal cytology
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22. Pregnancy diagnosis
• Chemical Tests
– 1) Sodium hydroxide test – Take 10 percent sodium
hydroxide solution and put some mucus in it and heat
it to boiling point. It will turn orange if the animal is
pregnant.
– 2) Barium chloride test – Take 1 percent barium
chloride solution and add urine in equal parts. If there
is no precipitation, it indicates pregnancy.
– 3) Copper sulphate test – Take a saturated solution of
copper sulphate and add mucus to it. If mucus turns
to a rubber – like paste, it indicated pregnancy.
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23. Pregnancy diagnosis
• 4) Copper sulphate and milk test – Take 10ml of 3
percent CuSo4 solution and add 1ml of milk to be
tested. If there is coagulation, it indicated pregnancy.
• 5) Glucose fructose estimations in mucus – Higher
percentage of fructose in mucus. (110 + 20mg percent)
is indication of pregnancy. In non-pregnant animals,
the fructose content of mucus is 35+30mg percent
• Microscopic examination of vaginal mucus
• The presence of more number of large, nucleated,
spherical cells in vaginal mucus smear are indicative of
pregnancy.
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24. Immunological Method
• The presence of hormones in the pregnant
animals can be used as a tool for determining
the early pregnancy in animal. Progesterone
estimation – It is 80 to 90 percent accurate. It
can be done in both milk & serum plasma by
Radio Immuno Assay technique. This
pregnancy test can be done as early as 18-
23rd day. The levels higher than 4 ng /ml of
milk and l ng/ml of plasma are indicative of
pregnancy.
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25. Radiography and US scanning
• There are three methods of which the last two are
important:-
– 1) X-Ray – This is possible only after bone formation. But it
can be harmful to the foetus and also to the operator.
– 2) Doppler scanning – It is quick, reliable and safe method
for pregnancy diagnoses base on feeling of the foetal heart
sound.
– 3) US scanning – This technique can be useful in pregnancy
diagnosis of sheep, bitches, cattle and camelid.
• In this, the sound waves are projected in the form of images on a
screen.
• A true picture of the embryo or foetus is obtained and thus the
age of the foetus can be ascertained by measuring the size of the
image.
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26. Care during pregnancy
• Once pregnancy is confirmed, care has to be
taken to avoid abortion.
• Pregnant camel should not be allowed to run.
• Balanced nutrition with plenty of water is
required.
• Feed quantity should be increased by 25% for
growing foetus.
• Fighting in camels leads to rupture of uterus.
• Kicking and biting on the abdomen should be
avoided as far as possible.
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27. Care of the pregnant female
• Plenty of green and dry fodder is necessary.
• Excitement and over exertion may lead to
abortion and hence in the last trimester of
pregnancy the females must be given
maximum rest.
• In few camels, heat during pregnancy is
expressed and in such cases mating must be
avoided.
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28. Parturition in camel
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• In camels the normal signs of parturition are:
– Swelling of vulva, Restlessness, Frequent urination,
– Camel finds a corner or a dark place and cleans it
with the help of fore legs.
– Goes off feed.
• Generally, parturition occurs in sitting position.
• The fore limbs of the young appear first
followed by the head.

29. Parturition in camel
• Navel cord generally breaks by itself when the
mother licks her young and the placenta is
expelled soon after parturition.
• Securing of animal as soon as the symptoms are
seen is advisable.
• The labour pain continue for 5 to 10 hours.
Animal remains in recumbent position for few
minutes after parturition.
• Camel calf stands on its own legs within 6-8 hrs
after birth.
• The female generally produces one calf at a time.
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31. Pathology of pregnancy
• Pseudopregnancy:
– A sterile mating will induce ovulation without
fertilization, resulting in the formation of a CL(s) and
thus a short pseudopregnancy.
– However, the absence of an embryo, with no maternal
recognition of pregnancy, is normally followed by
luteolysis of the CL(s) and a return to oestrus.
– Sometimes, early embryonic death may be followed
not by luteolysis but by persistence of the CL(s) and a
pseudopregnancy.
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32. Pathology of pregnancy
• Conception failure:
– Fertilization failure and early embryonic loss are
not uncommon in camelids, particularly in Arabian
camels.
– Those that show repeated returns to oestrus after
mating are referred to as 'repeat breeders', which
is usually associated with lesions of the uterus or
uterine tubes.
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33. Pathology of pregnancy
• Pseudohermaphroditism and freemartinism:
– Both have been reported in llamas.
– Fetal mummification has been reported in both
Old and New World camelids.
– The sterile death of a well-developed fetus may be
followed by persistence of the CL with resorption
of the fetal fluids and soft tissue, leaving a fetal
mummy within the uterus.
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34. Pathology of pregnancy
• Abortion:
– Non-infectious abortion has been reported in all
camelid species.
– Leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis and chlamydiosis have
been found to cause abortion in llamoids.
– Experimentally, Gidlewskiet al (2000) were able to
induce abortion in one llama in a group of 12 by
inoculating 1x 108viable Brucella abortus organisms
into the conjunctival sac; it has not been isolated after
spontaneous abortions so far.
– Neospora spp. have been associated with abortion in
alpacas and llamas.
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35. Pathology of pregnancy
• Abortions have been reported in camels
infected with rift valley fever; other clinical
signs were minimal.
• Antibodies against blue tongue virus were
reported in camels in Sudan and in Saudi
Arabia; however, there were no clinical signs
of abortion.
• Cervical-vaginal prolapse occurs in camelids,
usually during late gestation.
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36. Pathology of pregnancy
• Cervical-vaginal prolapse occurs in camelids,
usually during late gestation.
– It can occur in non-pregnant females with
anecdotal evidence that it is due to
hyperoestrogenism.
– Manual replacement, followed by the use of a
retainer made of nylon strapping fitted around the
perineal region, can help to retain the prolapse
until the onset of parturition, after which it
disappears.
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37. Pathology of pregnancy
• Uterine torsion:
– Rotation of the uterus about its longitudinal axis
(torsion) usually occurs during late pregnancy but is
only discovered during labour because it causes
dystocia in all species of camel ids.
– It is probably due to the disparity of the uterine horns
because of pregnancy always occurring in the left
horn, rendering the suspension of the uterus
unstable.
– Although rolling the dam may help to correct the
torsion in llamoids, manual correction through a flank
laparotomy is necessary in Old World camels.
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