Camel

The camel is a ruminative quadrupedal mammal, generally found in arid or desert locations. It comes in two flavours, Bactrian and Dromedary, between which the major difference is one hump or two. The humps are fatty bulges on the back, wherein the camel stores water. Its speciality is that it can travel for extended periods on one 'load' of water, storing the excess in the humps and only using it as required.

The camel is used as a means of transport and beast of burden; it can be milked and may, in extreme circumstances (or when unexpected in-laws come to call), be used for food.

In the mundane camels have also been introduced into Australia (where they have gone feral, whereas in their native territories the species is almost totally domesticated) and the USA, where they did not survive.

No 'funny' comments have yet been created likening royalty or nobility to these creatures, despite the fact that they are often portrayed as smelly, bad-tempered and haughty (the camels, not the kings/nobles).

The CAMeL is the heraldric newsletter for the Kingdom of Lochac in the SCA. It is so named because it is the Crux Australis Monthly Letter. This does not imply that Lochac's primary herald has strange lumps on his or her back.