THE EFFECT OF SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATION ON THE FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF THE DROMEDARY

Abstract

The dromedary is the only livestock species capable of efficiently utilizing the limited vegetation resources of Saharan rangelands, thanks to its unique feeding behavior. To better understand how it forages in its natural habitat, our study conducted spatio-temporal monitoring across various rangelands using the bite-count method, observing and filming three individuals. Our findings revealed 34 plant species from 19 families in the rangelands. In cooler seasons, the dromedary's daily activity distribution was 67% grazing, 11% ruminating, and 22% on other activities. During the hot season, grazing time decreased to 34%, while ruminating increased to 28%, with 38% on other activities. The amount grazed daily was linked to the variation in vegetation cover, ranging from 1.7 to 14.85 kg of dry matter. The dromedary can adapt to the spatiotemporal variation of rangelands