Two live here
♥ Rescued at Plumpton Park Zoo

Dromedary Camel

Camelus dromedarius

The one-humped camel of Arabia and North Africa, built to go for days without water. Meet Abu and Chloe, the dromedary camels of Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, Maryland.

Plan Your VisitMeet Our Camels
A dromedary camel standing in its paddock at Plumpton Park Zoo, looking toward the camera
SizeAbout 6 ft tall
Weight900–1,300 lb
Lifespan40–50 years
Conservation statusDomesticated

Our camels

Meet Abu and Chloe

One hump each. Count them.

AbuChloe

Two dromedary camels live at Plumpton Park Zoo: Abu, a male, and Chloe, a female.

The dromedary is the one-humped camel of Arabia and North Africa, and the easiest way to tell it from a Bactrian camel is to count: one hump, not two. Dromedaries were domesticated roughly three thousand years ago and no longer exist in the wild anywhere in their native range, though a large feral population roams the Australian outback.

Come see Abu and Chloe, and Lilly, our Bactrian camel, for a side-by-side lesson in one hump versus two.

For teachers and homeschool families

A free one-page dromedary camel fact sheet with fast facts, words to know, discussion questions and a drawing activity. Teachers may copy and share it freely as long as they credit Plumpton Park Zoo.

Printable Fact Sheet (PDF)


Close-up portrait of a dromedary camel at Plumpton Park Zoo

A dromedary camel at Plumpton Park Zoo.

Field guide

The hump is fat, not water

The hump stores fat, not water. A healthy dromedary can carry up to eighty pounds of it, drawing on that reserve when food is scarce, which is why a hungry camel’s hump goes soft and droops to one side. Keeping the fat in one place, instead of spread under the skin, also lets the rest of the body shed heat.

The water-handling is separate and just as impressive. A thirsty camel can drink around thirty gallons in a quarter of an hour, and its oval red blood cells, round in other mammals, keep flowing when the animal is badly dehydrated. Camels can tolerate losing water equal to more than 30 percent of their body weight; most mammals die at 15 percent. They do not start to sweat until their body temperature reaches about 106 to 108°F, letting the heat build through the day and releasing it overnight instead of spending water to stay cool.

Sources: SDZWA: Physical Characteristics; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance camel fact sheet.


Behind the scenes

Chloe’s weigh-in

Here is Chloe as a young calf, stepping onto the scale for a weigh-in. Regular weigh-ins let keepers track how a young camel is growing. Today Chloe shares her yard with Lilly, our Bactrian camel, so visitors can compare one hump and two side by side.

Abu is the one you may catch playing with his big ball.

Chloe as a young dromedary camel calf stepping onto a scale for a weigh-in with a keeper at Plumpton Park Zoo

Chloe as a young calf, stepping on the scale for a weigh-in.


Chloe the dromedary camel standing in her yard with Lilly the Bactrian camel resting behind her at Plumpton Park Zoo

Chloe, with Lilly the Bactrian camel resting behind her.

At a glance

Dromedary fast facts

Scientific name Camelus dromedarius
Animal group Mammal — camel family (camelids)
Native region North Africa, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula
Habitat Hot, dry deserts
Diet Grasses, leaves and twigs, including thorny, salty desert plants
Shoulder height About 6 ft; about 7 ft at the top of the hump
Weight 900 to 1,300 lb; large males up to 1,500 lb
Pregnancy 12 to 14 months
At birth About 77 lb
Lifespan 40 to 50 years
Status Domesticated

Sources: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance camel fact sheet; SDZWA: Reproduction & Development.


15 million

dromedaries alive today, nearly all of them domesticated.

A camel of the people

Millions of camels, almost none wild

More than 15 million dromedaries live today, most of them in Africa. Somalia alone has about 7 million and Sudan about 4 million. A female can give about 20 liters, roughly 5 gallons, of milk a day, and dromedaries still carry, pull and feed people across the deserts of Africa and the Middle East.

No truly wild dromedaries remain in their native range. The one big free-roaming population is in Australia, where about 700,000 feral camels now roam the outback.

Sources: SDZWA: Population & Conservation; SDZWA: Behavior & Ecology.


Behavior

Built for sand, sun and thorns

Almost every feature of a dromedary is a desert adaptation. Slit-like nostrils close against blowing sand. Two rows of long eyelashes guard the eyes, and a bony ridge above each eye works as a built-in sun shade. Thick, leathery lips let it browse thorny plants other animals cannot touch, and broad two-toed feet spread its weight so it does not sink into loose sand.

Camels have a reputation for spitting. What a dromedary actually does, when it is excited, is blow out some of the cud it is chewing. Their incisors and canine teeth keep growing throughout life.

Sources: SDZWA: Physical Characteristics; SDZWA: Behavior & Ecology.

  • One hump: stores up to about 80 lb of fat
  • Eyelashes: two rows, to keep out sand
  • Nostrils: close tight in a sandstorm
  • Feet: broad two-toed pads that spread on sand
On the menu

What dromedaries eat

Dromedary camels are herbivores. In their native range they browse grasses, leaves and the twigs of desert shrubs and trees, including dry, thorny, salty and bitter plants most grazers avoid. A camel needs about eight times as much salt as cattle or sheep, and in a hot, dry season a thirsty camel can drink up to 200 liters, about 53 gallons, in a day.

Like cattle, camels chew cud. Plants are partly broken down in the first stomach chambers, brought back up and chewed again, and microbes in the gut finish the job. Ours are fed hay and grain along with browse.

Sources: SDZWA: Diet & Feeding.


Family life

Raising a camel calf

12–14 mopregnancy
~77 lbat birth
1–2 yrsto weaning

A dromedary mother carries her calf for about a year, 12 to 14 months, and gives birth to a single calf, usually every two years. Calves weigh about 77 pounds at birth, and males are larger than females. They are up and walking shortly after they are born, nurse for one to two years, and reach adulthood at three to four years for females and five to six for males.

Sources: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance camel fact sheet; SDZWA: Reproduction & Development.


Spot the difference

Dromedary, Bactrian or llama?

Dromedary

One hump and a short, light coat. Domesticated across North Africa, the Middle East and Arabia.

Bactrian camel

Two humps and a heavy winter coat. Meet Lilly, our Bactrian camel.

Wild Bactrian camel

A separate species from the domestic Bactrian, found in the Gobi Desert and Critically Endangered.

Llamas and alpacas

The camel family’s South American cousins, with no hump at all.


Conservation

Why they matter

DOMESTICATED

Dromedaries are not endangered: more than 15 million are alive today. Because no wild population remains, they are listed as domesticated rather than given a wild conservation status. Their relative the wild Bactrian camel is a different story; it is Critically Endangered.

Sources: SDZWA: Population & Conservation; SDZWA: Taxonomy & History.

Abu the dromedary camel playing with a large ball at Plumpton Park Zoo

Abu playing with his ball at Plumpton Park Zoo.


Support

Help care for Abu, Chloe & the animals of Plumpton Park

As a nonprofit zoo, Plumpton Park Zoo relies on admissions, memberships and the generosity of people who believe in what we do. Donations help support animal care, veterinary services, nutritious diets, enrichment, habitat improvements and the continued development of the zoo.

Support Our Animals

Plumpton Park Zoological Gardens, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations support the zoo’s charitable mission and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.


Questions

Questions visitors ask about dromedary camels

How many humps does a dromedary have?

One. Bactrian camels have two.

Does a camel store water in its hump?

No. The hump stores fat, up to about 80 pounds of it, which the camel draws on when food is scarce.

How much water can a camel drink?

A thirsty camel can drink around thirty gallons in a quarter of an hour, and up to about 53 gallons in a day in hot, dry weather.

Do camels spit?

When excited, a dromedary may blow out some of the cud it is chewing.

How long do dromedary camels live?

About 40 to 50 years.

Are there wild dromedary camels?

Not in their native range. Nearly all of the world’s more than 15 million dromedaries are domesticated, though about 700,000 feral camels roam Australia.

How many camels live at Plumpton Park Zoo?

Three: dromedaries Abu and Chloe, and Lilly, our Bactrian camel.

Where can I see a camel in Maryland?

At Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, Cecil County, Maryland. See Hours and Tickets for times and admission.



Meet Abu and Chloe at Plumpton Park Zoo

Our dromedary camels are part of a visit to Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, Maryland.

The zoo is in Cecil County, an easy drive from Delaware and southern Pennsylvania. While you are here, meet Lilly, our Bactrian camel, our reticulated giraffes and our Grant’s zebras.

Hours & TicketsGet TicketsTeacher Fact Sheet (PDF)