Horses are gentle, curious, and friendly creatures that can be easily intimidated by something that is unfamiliar. This is the reason why horses are rumored to be afraid of camels. Let’s explore this.
Horses are not scared of camels, it is a strong odor that scares them. Horses have a keen sense of smell that allows them to recognize stinging smells of camels that disorient or frighten them. This is why they usually avoid encounters with camels.
Horses are amongst the most affectionate animals. Thus, there are very few instances that they got afraid or hated anyone, whether animals or humans. But, minor details like smell or noise can trigger or scare them.
However, besides the smell, horses are afraid of camels due to other reasons. Read on to know why horses are so scared of camels and what do camels exactly smell like.
Why are Horses afraid of Camels?
If you closely observe horses, you will get to know that most of them are fearful even from slight changes. Let’s see what changes horses keep around camels that scare them.
Horses are afraid of camels because of their pungent smell. As well as their stinging smell, horses are also frightened by their colossal size. Due to their heavyweight and size, horses feel threatened by camels.
As the perfect prey for carnivores, they run to escape and save their lives at all costs. This is why they may become curious, even from the slightest change in environment, even if it is the smell of camels.
What do Camels Smell Like?
The camels’ pungent odor is usually caused by their eating and somewhat different urination habits. But what they exactly smell like is still unexplored. Let’s find out together!
Camels smell like a wet slimy compost pile. This is because they are ruminants. They chew and swallow its food down into its rumen, where it ferments and later burps it back up into its mouth.
It is probably for this reason that they are said to smell like goats, who are considered to be one of the stinkiest smells. The other factor that makes them smell worse is because of their defecating habits. It is common for camels to pee on their legs, adding to the already unpleasant smell.
What animals Do Horses Hate?
It is a common perception that horses hate camels. However, in reality, they are very friendly towards camels if appropriately introduced. But they do hate various other animals. Let’s find out what animals horses don’t generally like.
Horses hate dogs, cats, and butterflies. This is because they are tiny creatures that emit strange sounds that might scare them. Thus, they are aggressive towards small animals.
Horses usually get anxious about strange noises really fast. This is why they do not love being around dogs and cats and also might kick them if they see dogs barking or if cats have any sudden movement.
Do Horses And Camels Get Along?
Now that we know that horses are afraid of camels’ smell but do they ever get along? Is there any possibility that they will get together? Let’s have a look at this!
When introduced correctly and after spending quite some time together, horses and camels easily get along. The horses share the same similarities with camels. Both are herbivores, live in herds, are fast runners, and are very friendly. This makes it easy to get along with each other.
Considering the friendly nature of horses, it is straightforward to train them according to different circumstances.
In Fact, certain countries like Saudi Arabia celebrate special occasions by organizing camel and horse racing. While others like Kazakhstan and Mongolia still breed horses and camels together to meet their milk and meat needs.
Verdict
There is no doubt that horses can beat camels on the battlefield, but at the same time, they get afraid or scared of the minor changes around them. This shows that horses aren’t frightened of camels or any other animal, but their smell, sound, colors can definitely scare them.
