The plight of the imported camel in the Australian Desert made me realize if the camel would have

[Bobbieo]

been able to survive on desert cactus - my part of Arizona would also be up to its ass in camels, right now.

[dysfunctional press]

1. how would camels have faired against north american predators?

:shrug:

[Bobbieo]

2. They were doing very well but could not handle the vegetation. at

least that is what the historians say. I think they were even seen in the early 1900s.

[NickB79]

3. Camels were native to N. America until 10,000 yrs ago

They held their own against megafauna predators like dire wolves and sabertooths, so a few coyotes and cougars shouldn't have been an issue.

[happyslug]

5. Two reports as to the last sighting of Camels in the US, 1941 and 1972

For the 1941 sighting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Camel_Corps

For the 1972 Sighting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel

These were the remains of the US Camel Corp,
http://www.desertusa.com/mag05/sep/camel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel

The biggest problem with Camels is that unlike horses, they are NOT able to reproduce for about five years after birth and then the offspring stays with its mother for 1-2 years:
http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Camelus_dromedarius.html

This is longer then a horse, but not that much (Horse gestation is about 335 days, Camels is 365-385 days), Normal age of Majority of the Horse about 4 years of age Camel is about 5 years. Normal overall age, 25-30 years for a Horse, 40-50 years for a Camel

For more on the Horse:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse

The main reason Camels have NOT expanded that much in the US, is we must remember wild horse exist in the west from the time of the Indians till today, and these horse compete with Camels for graze except in the harshest deserts (which are rare in the US) AND they are legal to shot to this day in most states for their are NOT a protected game species AND do NOT come under any of the protections for Wild Horses (Which have expanded the number of wild horses in the West). Cattle also is permitted to graze over much of the Southwest, thus Camel have another competitor for graze. Furthermore there are NO wild camels in the world today (outside of Australia) do to excessive human populations (Which includes the American Southwest). We have also have to remember how small a population of Camels were released.

Report from the 1940s that Camels still exist out West:
http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/hijolly-ap.htm

And remember we are talking of 30 Camels that came over in 1857 and then sold or released 10 years later. That is not that many, but if half of them escaped that is enough to start a breeding population. To double the population would take about (One year in gestation, five years before Sexual majority) over ten years. We know many camels were reported throughout the Southwest in the late 1800s, but reproduction rate would NEVER have been that high (Especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the problems camels caused to horses and mules would have lead to camels being shot by any teamsters or miners who ran across them). It is possible for camels to survive in the Southwest but even if NOT killed off and reproduced in full, the competition for graze would have kept their numbers down (And one of the problems with Camels is they like being in a large head, and will herd up with other grazing animals, thus the well known affect of camels going to Horses and Mules and the Horse and Mules becoming frighten by the new strange animals).

Yes, the biggest arguments against Camels in the US Southwest is Camels well known characteristics of heading up with other grazing animals, cattle, buffalo and Horses. No one has reported such activities since the early 1900s and thus the consideration of most experts that the Camels died out by the early 1900s and NEVER established a breeding population. I just want to point out it is possible, but we need more evidence then a back packer report in 1972.

[NBachers]

4. Here's a fascinating account of camels in the Southwest

I can just here The Old Ranger's introduction at the beginning of Death Valley Days -

"It was during the 19th century that the camel, of all creatures, became a part of the fabled story of the deserts of the Southwest . . ."

http://www.desertusa.com/mag05/sep/camel.html