World Report: January 30, 1998 Vol.3 No.15

The First Of Its Kind

His dad's a camel, and his mama's a llama. So what does that make a wobbly-legged newborn named Rama? A cama, of course! The proud parents and their baby are pictured with scientist Lulu Skidmore in the Middle Eastern country of United Arab Emirates. Skidmore helped crossbreed the two desert animals to "combine the best qualities of both." Rama will have a llama's soft fur and a camel's bigger size, which means there will be more wool to sell.

Rama weighed 12 pounds at birth two weeks ago. Even on a diet of bottled camel's milk, he'll reach just half the size of his 990-pound dad!