Camel or dromedary?
How to tell them apart
The dromedary has one hump. The Bactrian camel has two and is up to a foot taller.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues below.
| Question | Camel | Dromedary |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | No, herbivore | No, herbivore |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? | Yes | Yes |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | Yes | Yes |
At a glance
| Question | Camel | Dromedary |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Africa, Asia | Africa, Asia |
| Habitat differs | Desert, Grassland | Desert, Scrub |
| Size | Large | Large |
| Height differs | About 1.85 m at the shoulder (dromedary) | 1.8–2.4 m at the shoulder (males) |
| Weight differs | 300–600 kg (dromedary); 300–1,000 kg (Bactrian) | 400–690 kg (males); 300–540 kg (females) |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | In herds | In herds |
| Lives for | 40–50 years | 40–50 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Camel
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.
Dromedary
The one-humped camel, and the tallest of the three camel species. First domesticated in the Arabian Peninsula about 4,000 years ago, it has not lived wild for nearly 2,000 years, apart from a feral population in Australia.
Everything on the dromedary page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.