Wildlife
Dromedary camels account for about 90% of the world's 15 million camels. The other being the two-humped bactrian camel. These beasts of burden are now considered domesticated except for a wild population that was introduced to the Australian outback in the mid-19th century, principally as draft animals. Life in the hot and arid desert requires some remarkable adaptations, from being able to stand a 30% loss of water to drinking 100 litres of water in just 10 minutes.
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Australia's camels
Australia is now the only country where one-humped camels live naturally in the wild.
Australia's mulga country, or bush, is a dense woodland of acacias, ghost gums and bloodwoods, all rooted in the outwash of the Central Ranges. Most woody shrubs are thirsty and demanding but these tough plants have flourished despite the dry soil and some unwelcome invaders. In the 1880s, camel trains were the only way to cross the desert. But once roads were built, the camels were abandoned and are now feral. With no natural predators they have thrived here and Australia is now the only country where one-humped camels live in the wild. In the breeding season males do their best to mate with as many females as they can. They do this by frothing at the mouth and inflating their dewlaa - a sac on the roof of their mouth. It looks grotesque, but it is obviously attractive to the females and intimidates other males. When two bulls fight, it can get very serious as they use their necks to try wrestle each other to the ground. Over half a million camels now roam the Central Ranges and they are now considered serious pests.
Ships of the desert
Camels are adapted for life in deserts yet depend on the Tuareg for water.
Camels are adapted for life in deserts yet depend on the Tuareg for water.
Know your camels
A simple memory technique can help you instantly tell a dromedary from a Bactrian camel.
A simple memory technique based on a visual mnemonic can help you instantly tell a dromedary from a Bactrian camel.
Camel survival
Camels are fantastically well suited to Earth's hottest desert.
Dromedary camels are the key to the Afar peoples' ability to survive in the Danakil Depression - officially the hottest place on Earth. These hardy animals can survive for days without water and can tolerate temperatures that would kill a human. Steve Leonard does the clever thing and makes friends with one at the first opportunity.
The Dromedary camel can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, Australia, Mediterranean. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Dromedary camel distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
The dromedary (/ˈdrɒmədɛri/ or /-ədri/) also called the Arabian camel or the Indian Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back. First described by Aristotle, the dromedary was given its binomial name by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The dromedary is the next largest member of the camel family after the Bactrian camel. The oldest known ancestor of the dromedary is the Protylopus. Males are 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft) tall and females 1.7–1.9 m (5.6–6.2 ft) tall. Males range from 400–600 kg (880–1,300 lb), while females weigh 300–540 kg (660–1,200 lb). They vary in colour from a light beige to dark brown. The notable hump, measuring 20 cm (7.9 in) high, is composed of fat bound together by fibrous tissue.
Their diet includes foliage and desert vegetation, like thorny plants which their extremely tough mouths allow them to eat. The camels are active in the day, and rest together in groups. Led by a dominant male, each herd consists of about 20 individuals. Some males form bachelor groups. Dromedaries show no signs of territoriality, as herds often merge during calamities. Predators in the wild include wolves, lions and tigers. Dromedaries use a wide set of vocalizations to communicate with each other. They have various adaptations to help them exist in their desert habitat. Dromedaries have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to protect their eyes and can close their nostrils to face sandstorms. Their ears are also lined with protective hair. When water-deprived they can fluctuate their body temperature by 6 degrees C, changing from a morning minimum of 34 degrees to a maximum of 40 degrees or so in the afternoon. This is to allow heat flow from the environment to the body to be reduced and thereby water loss through perspiration is prevented. They have specialized kidneys, which make them able to tolerate water loss of more than 30% of their body mass; a loss of 15% would prove fatal in most other animals. Mating usually occurs in winter, often overlapping the rainy season. One calf is born after the gestational period of 15 months, and is nurtured for about two years.
Its origin is unclear, but it was probably domesticated in the Arabian Peninsula about 4000 years ago. The domesticated form occurs widely in North Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. Today there are almost 13 million domesticated dromedaries. The dromedaries are beneficial as beasts of burden, and their docility and toughness compared to cattle are additional advantages. The hair is a highly regarded source material for woven goods. Another useful feature is their dung which can be used as fertiliser and fuel.
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Dry tolerant
Herbivorous
Food storage
Maternal care
Nomadic
Polygynous
Active at birth
Social
Heat tolerant
Viviparous