Difference Between Camel and Dromedary
Within the animal kingdom, mammals are vertebrate animals that have mammary glands that are used to feed their young. There are countless species of mammals throughout the planet earth. Some very different from others, depending on various factors that affect their habitats such as climate, humidity, height, among others.
In the desert regions of Asia and North Africa, large mammals -ruminants- inhabit with very particular characteristics that differentiate them from many other species. These species are the camel and the dromedary. Both with voluminous bodies belonging to the family of camelids and which includes three species typical of that region.
Since the camel and the dromedary belong to the same family of camelids, they have important similarities, among them, both are prominent in size, they are ruminants without horns, they have a raised abdomen, as well as very long and thin legs. Both species have a common characteristic and that is that they both have a hump in which they store fat. This fat is used to feed them in case they stay for several days without food in the desert.
In view of this, important similarities between both species can be seen, but there are also specific characteristics that differentiate them from each other and which will be presented in this article, after the definitions of both species.
Camel
The camel is a ruminant mammal native to some regions of Asia. This usually measures between a meter and a half to two meters in height, has two humps or humps that rise about between 30 and 40 centimeters on its back. These consist of fibrous tissue that serves to store fat and thus feed in times of scarcity.
As mentioned above, the camel belongs to the family of camelids or camelidae and to the order of Artiodactyls, which means that they have an even number of fingers. The common name is Bactrian camel and the scientific name is Camelus Bactrianus. They weigh between 500 and 800 kilograms on average and it is a herbivorous species that, over the years, has been domesticated for human transportation uses in desert areas.
Dromedary
We can point out that the dromedary, also called the Arabian Camel, is an artiodactyl ruminant (it has an even number of fingers) native to the regions of North Africa that usually measures between one meter seventy and two meters ten in height. It has a hump or hump on its back made of fibrous tissue in which it stores fat that serves as food and a source of energy in times of scarcity. They weigh between 500 and 700 kilograms on average and it is a herbivorous species that, like the Bactrian camel, has been domesticated for human transport use in the desert areas of North Africa.
According to what was outlined in the previous definitions and because they belong to the same family, there are important similarities between the camel and the dromedary, which reduces the differences to a few, which are presented below:
| Camel | Dromedary |
| Camels have two humps or humps. | Dromedary camels have a single hump or hump. |
| The camel is native to the desert areas of Asia, they tend to withstand lower temperatures than dromedaries, up to -40 ° Celsius. | The dromedary is native to the desert areas of North Africa, they tend to withstand temperatures of 50 ° Celsius. |
| They have a longevity of between 20 and 30 years | They generally have a longevity of 20 years. |
| The camel’s gestational period is 13.5 months and it gives birth to a single calf. | The gestational period of the dromedary lasts 15 months and gives birth to a single offspring. |
| It has a longer coat than the dromedary. | It has a shorter coat than the camel. |
| Camels are usually heavier. However, smaller than dromedaries. | Dromedary camels are usually lighter. However, larger than camels. |