Three living species of humped desert animals: the one-humped dromedary (94% of the world’s camels), the two-humped Bactrian camel, and the endangered wild Bactrian camel. The humps store fat, not water.
This entry covers a whole group, so the answers describe a typical member. For a specific one, see Dromedary.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Can be
Domesticated?Yes
Dromedaries and Bactrian camels are domestic, but the wild Bactrian camel is a separate species, with only about 1,000 left.
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatDesert, Grassland
ColoursTan, Brown
SizeLarge
HeightAbout 1.85 m at the shoulder (dromedary)
Weight300–600 kg (dromedary); 300–1,000 kg (Bactrian)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for40–50 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Mostly domestic. The dromedary comes from the hot deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara; the Bactrian camel from the steppes of Central Asia.
- What it eats
- Desert plants. A thick, leathery lining to the mouth lets camels chew thorny ones.
Did you know
The humps are fat, not water.
A dromedary can go as long as 10 days between drinks, even in very hot weather.
Often confused with
- Llama
A llama is a South American relative of the camel but not a true camel, and it has no hump.
Sources
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
