A camel is a four-toed ungulate of the genus Camelus with characteristic fatty deposits on its back known as “humps.” Camels have been domesticated for a long time and produce food (milk and meat) and textiles as livestock (fiber and felt from hair). Camels are working animals well-suited to their desert environment and serve as a crucial passenger and freight transportation mode. Camels exist in three different species. The two-humped Bactrian camel accounts for 6% of the world’s camel population, whereas the one-humped dromedary makes up 94 percent. Wild Bactrian camels are a distinct species that is currently severely endangered.

The term “camelid” is sometimes used colloquially to refer to all seven species of Camelidae: genuine camels (the three species mentioned above), as well as “New World” camelids such as the llama, alpaca, guanaco, and vicua. The term itself is derived from Hebrew, Arabic, or Phoenician: gml through Latin: camelus and Greek: o (kamlos).

A camel’s typical life expectancy is 40 to 50 years. A fully grown adult dromedary camel is 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch) tall at the shoulder and 2.15 meters (7 feet 1 inch) tall at the hump. Bactrian camels may stand up to a foot higher than Arabian camels. Camels can sprint at speeds of up to 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and maintain speeds of up to 40 km/h for long periods (25 mph). Dromedaries weigh 300 to 600 kg (660 to 2,200 lb) while Bactrian camels weigh 300 to 1,000 kg (660 to 2,200 lb) (660 to 1,320 lb). The spreading toes of a camel’s hoof give extra traction for different soil particles.

When a male dromedary camel is in rut, he possesses an organ in his neck called a dulla, a big, inflated sac that he extrudes from his mouth to demonstrate authority and attract females. It seems like it has a large, bloated pink tongue protruding from the side of its mouth. Camels mate by sitting on the ground with both male and female, with the male mounting from behind. In a single mating session, the male generally ejaculates three or four times. Camelids are the only ungulates that can mate while sitting.

Camels’ humps do not hold water directly; instead, they serve as fatty tissue reservoirs. This tissue produces more than one gram of water for every gram of fat digested when it is metabolized. While fat oxidation releases energy, it also causes water to drain from the lungs during breathing (since oxygen is necessary for the metabolic process), resulting in a net loss of water.

Camels have several physiological adaptations that allow them to survive for lengthy periods without water access. Even in extremely hot temperatures, the dromedary camel may drink just once every ten days and lose up to 30% of its total weight owing to dehydration. Camels’ red blood cells are oval rather than round, unlike those of other animals. This improves red blood cell flow during dehydration and makes them more resistant to rupturing while drinking huge volumes of water: a 600 kg (1,300 lb) camel can drink 200 L (53 US gal) of water in three minutes.

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