ORIGINAL PAPER A survey of chemical and nutritional characteristics of halophytes plants used by camels in Southern Tunisia Vito Laudadio & Vincenzo Tufarelli & Marco Dario & Mohamed Hammadi & Mabrouk Mouldi Seddik & Giovanni Michele Lacalandra & Cataldo Dario Accepted: 28 April 2008 / Published online: 26 May 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract The camel (Camelus dromedarius) is well adapted to the utilization of vegetation of low nutri- tional value in its natural habitat zone, thanks to its aptitude to vary food and to search plants that are rich in water content and that can make up for its nutritional deficits, particularly as concerns mineral elements. Therefore, a survey was carried out to determine camels pasture quality, dietary preference and to characterize the chemical characteristics and nutritional value of different halophytes plants in a region of Southern Tunisia during spring season. Laboratory analysis were conducted on fourteen vegetable species appertained to seven different botanical families: Chenopodiaceae, Graminaceae, Tamaricaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Asteraceae, Frankeniaceae and Plumbaginaceae. Data obtained indicate an high variability of nutritional content of halophytes plants preferred by camels, specially for dry matter, crude protein, fiber fractions, ash and mineral elements. Keywords Camel . Pasture quality . Halophytes plants . Dietary preference . Tunisia Introduction The national herd of dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Tunisia dropped from around 250,000 in 1956 to 70,000 in 1984; there are currently about 1.60 camels/km 2 in Tunisia (Gallacher and Hill 2006). In contrast, the population of goats, sheep and dairy cattle increased over the period from 1961 to 2004. However, only camels are allowed to wander freely throughout the desert to graze. The camel has specific anatomical and digestive characteristics which facilitate the valorisation of the great arid and desert regions, characterized by scarce resources and unfavourable to produce milk and meat and where other species can not compete. In Tunisia, studies related to the ingestion and digestion in camel on rangelands are relatively recent (Abdouli et al. 1992; Khorchani et al. 1992; Hammadi 1996). Such research should be continued to develop appropriate methods for the estimation of the aver- age intake and digestibility taken vegetation during the year to share periods of complementation for the Trop Anim Health Prod (2009) 41:209–215 DOI 10.1007/s11250-008-9177-7 V. Laudadio : V. Tufarelli (*) : M. Dario : C. Dario Department of Animal Health and Welfare, University of Bari, s.p. per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy e-mail: tufarelliv@libero.it G. M. Lacalandra Department of Animal Production, University of Bari, 70010 Valenzano, Italy M. Hammadi : M. M. Seddik Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory, Arid Regions Institute of Medenine, 4119 Medenine, Tunisia