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Camel: even-toed ungulate (hoofed mammal) in
the genus Camelus.

Kingdom: | Animalia

Phylum: | Chordata

Class: | Mammalia

Order: | Cetartiodactyla

Family: | Camelidae

Genus: | Camelus

There are two species of camel: the Bactrian

camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the dromedary
camel (Camelus dromedarius). About 90% of the

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world’s camels are dromedary camels, also

known as the Arabian camel. All existing
dromedary camels are domesticated. Meanwhile,
there are two types of Bactrian camels: wild and
domesticated.

More than 3,000 years ago, camels were

domesticated. They are used by humans for
numerous reasons, but most often for travel
across arid climates. Camels can survive for long
periods of time without food or water. They can
easily carry an extra 200 pounds and can walk
about 20 miles a day through the harsh desert
climate. Camels also provide humans with food
(milk and meat) and textiles (fiber and felt from
hair).

Size and Weight:

The Bactrian camel is 10 to 11.5 feet long, 5.2 to
5.9 feet tall at shoulder height, and weighs 990 to
1,100 pounds. Meanwhile, the dromedary camel
is 7.2 to 11.2 feet long, 5.9 to 6.6 feet tall at the
shoulder height, and weighs 880 to 1,320 pounds.

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Appearance:
One of the camel’s most notable physical traits is
its hump or humps. While the dromedary camel
has one hump, the Bactrian camel has two
humps. They store fat in these humps, which later
can be used as an energy source.

They have other features that allow them to

survive in the desert, such as double rows of
extra-long eyelashes to help keep sand out of the
eyes. They are also able to close their nostrils to
keep out sand.

Diet:
Camels are herbivores, eating grass, grains,
wheat and oats. They will spend their days
searching for food and grazing. However, food
can be tough to come by in their harsh desert

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environment. They have tough but flexible lips

that enable them to break off and eat vegetation,
such as thorns or salty plants that other
mammals may avoid. Like cows, camels are
ruminants, meaning they regurgitate the food
back up from their stomach to chew it again.

A camel can survive for over a week without

water and can survive for several months without
40. Camels store fat in their humps, which can be
used for energy when food and water are scarce.
The length of time that a camel can survive on
this stored fat depends on the climate and the
animal’s activity level. The hump changes size
depending on the amount of food that the animal
eats. The camel’s hump may lean over or doop
when food is scarce.

Habitat:
Camels typically live in deserts, where it is hot
and dry.

Geography:
Bactrian camels are native to the Gobi Desert in
China and the Bactrian steppes of Mongolia.
Domesticated dromedary camels are found
throughout desert areas in North Africa and the

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Middle East. A feral population of dromedary

camels lives in Australia.

Breeding:
After a gestation period of 12 to 14 months, the
female camel gives birth to one or rarely two
newborns. An expectant mother removes herself
from the herd when she is about to give birth. She
finds a private area covered with vegetation for
her calving spot. A newborn camel is born
without humps, but small peaks hide with a
tassel of curly hair, indicating where the humps
will grow. The newborn is able to walk within half
an hour after it is born.

After about two weeks, the mother and her young

return to the herd. The mother continues to nurse
her young for 10 to 18 months, depending on
species and the availability of food. Camels reach
full adult size when they are about age seven.

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Social Structure:
Camels are social animals that live in groups,
called herds. The herd consists of a dominant
adult male, females, and their young. Other
males that have been chased out of the group
form bachelor herds.

Camels communicate with each other with many

sounds, such as moans and loud bellows.
Mothers and their newborns hum to each other.
They may blow on each other’s faces as a friendly
way to greet one another. Positions of the head,
neck, ears, and tail have different meanings in
camel society. For example, ears forward
indicates alertness.

Lifespan:
The median life expectancy for camels is 17.8
years.

Threats:
Camels have been used by humans since ancient
times. They have been used for transportation, as
well as a replacement for beef cattle. The nomads
of Africa’s Saharan region continue to use

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dromedary camels in their traditional way of life

for milk, wool, and transportation.

In the wild, Bactrian camels are at critical risk.

They are hunted for sport and for their meat.
They are also killed due to human conflict, as
they compete with dometic camels for grazing
and watering spots. Habitat loss is another major
threat to the species, as human activities like
illegal mining operations spread into their
habitat.

Conservation Status:
The Bactrian Camel is listed as Critically
Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. There are currently about 650 Bactrian
camels in China and about 450 in Mongolia.

Conservation Efforts:
The Wild Camel Protection Foundation was
established in 1997, with the sole aim of
protecting wild Bactrian camels. They set up a
natural reserve in China for wild Bactrian camels.
Their aim is to protect its habitat in the fragile
and unique desert ecosystems in the Gobi and
Gashun Gobi deserts in north-west China and
south-west Mongolia.

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Source: the San Diego Zoo.

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