Contrary to what many people think, camels do not lay eggs. Like most mammals, camels give birth to a live young. That means that camels are viviparous animals.
There are two options for animals to bring their offspring into the world.
They will either lay eggs and have no physical connection with the baby (oviparity), or they will let the embryo (later fetus) develop inside them, and when the time is right, give birth to a live young (viviparity).
Camels are, as we just mentioned, viviparous.
Both styles of giving birth have some advantages, but also drawbacks.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Camels Laying Eggs
The main benefit of a camel hatching would be the freedom and mobility of the animal; the mother would not be slowed down by having to carry a huge egg/animal in its belly.
The biggest disadvantage of laying eggs would be the exposure of the camel’s egg to predators and environmental changes. Letting the baby develop inside the reproductive tract, allows the camel mother to protect it until it’s ready to be born.
How Do Camels Give Birth?
Before coming near to giving birth, camels first need to attract mates. Both males and females show different sexual behaviors before copulation happens.
And after carrying the baby for around 13 months (that’s how long the pregnancy of camels lasts), a camel will become restless, distance itself from the herd, and after a couple of hours of pain, a baby will appear.
This newborn will weigh between 77-88 lbs (35-40 kgs), and in 99.6% of cases will not have a twin brother or a sister.
That makes us wonder: if a camel laid eggs, how big would the egg need to be to accommodate an 80-pound baby?
Read More: Do Bears Get Belly Buttons After Birth?
Conclusion
Millions of years ago, in North America (yes, camels first appeared there), Mother Nature gave camels 2 options to choose from.
“Take the blue pill, and you will lay eggs”.
“Take the red pill, and you will carry your youngling in your belly for 13 months and then spend hours of your life in excruciating pain to bring your newborn into the world every 2 years”.
What followed were millions of years, and millions of camel youngs coming into the world by birth.
And according to EOL.org online encyclopedia, the first camel that appeared about 45 million years ago, Protylopus, is considered to have been reproducing viviparously.
A trend that has continued with today’s camelids.
We hope you found this short article fun and informative and got the answer to the question: do camels lay eggs?
And if you enjoyed it, here’s a recommendation on another popular read: do rats lay eggs or give birth to live young?
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