Dromedary Camel
Camelus dromedarius
🐪
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Camelidae
Camelus dromedarius
The One-Humped Survivor — The Dromedary Camel has been indispensable to desert civilizations for millennia. Native to arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa, this single-humped camel was first domesticated by humans over 3,000 years ago and no longer exists in the wild.
Description
Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius) — The Dromedary Camel is a large, even-toed ungulate adapted for life in hot, arid environments. Recognized by its single hump, it can survive extreme dehydration, losing over 30% of its body water without ill effects. Specialized adaptations such as slit-like nostrils, thick eyelashes, and broad, padded feet allow it to endure sandstorms and walk on loose sand. It is the tallest of all camel species, with a standing height at the hump of up to 2.15 meters, shoulder height of 1.8 meters, and a body length of about 3 meters. Adults weigh between 400–600 kg.
Today, all Dromedaries are domesticated, with wild populations having gone extinct. They serve as pack animals, meat and milk providers, and hold cultural significance across much of the Islamic world, North Africa, and South Asia.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
600
2
3
3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Dromedary Camels were domesticated around 3,000 BCE in the Arabian Peninsula. Their use rapidly spread across the Middle East and North Africa due to their unmatched endurance in desert climates. Unlike many animals hunted to extinction, Dromedaries were selectively bred and widely utilized by nomadic cultures for transport, wool, and milk.
Though wild populations once roamed the Arabian deserts, no truly wild Dromedaries remain today — only feral populations exist, such as in Australia, where they were introduced in the 19th century and now number in the hundreds of thousands.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Use:
Al-Magar, Saudi Arabia (~6,000 years ago): Stone statues and tools suggest early camel management and pre-domestication interactions.
Mesopotamia (Uruk Period) (~3,000 BCE): Camel bones found in urban centers imply domestication and controlled breeding.
Timna Valley, Israel (~930 BCE): Camel bones dated by radiocarbon indicate their use in copper mining and trade routes.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Domesticated 5,000 years ago in Arabia
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
4000
BP
Holocene
Middle East
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
30
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat (when present), visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4