Did you know that there are no naturally occuring Dromedary Camels remaining in the wild? Much like many varieties of cattle who do not exist in the wild, the Dromedary Camel has become a purely domestic animal; in areas where it does run free, it was introduced to the environment by man.

In the wild, Dromedary Camels will eat a variety of plants, even those so high in salinity that other animals have rejected them. They will eat only a few leaves from each plant, which allows vegetation to continue relatively unharmed in the desert. If pressed, Dromedaries will even eat fish or drink saltwater! These Camels are incredibly resistant to dehydration and can survive a loss of 40 percent of their body weight- twice the resistance of a typical animal! When water is available, a Dromedary Camel can drink about a third of its body weight in just minutes! These animals have special desert adaptations, which aid them in walking on sand and keeping blowing sand out of their eyes, nose and ears. Dromedary Camels can go for long periods with little food due to the hump of stored fat on their backs. When Dromedary Camels run, they move both the legs on one side of their body, and then both the legs on the other side, giving them a rocking pace. When annoyed, Camels will spit out a foul smelling liquid in the direction of the annoyance. A Dromedary Camel can travel between 80 and 120 miles while carrying a rider in just one day. They are used in Arabia for military purposes and can carry a load of about 200 kilograms to a distance of about 40 miles each day.

Dromedary Camels are rather large, growing to about six and a half feet at the shoulder! These single humped animals can grow to ten feet in length and usually weigh between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds. Each broad foot has a thick, leathery pad topped by two toes and the knees may be heavily calloused from the camel kneeling on them. Their legs are long and spindly and their necks and heads are also long. Dromedary Camels have wooly, sandy or fawn colored coats. Their nostrils are very narrow and the eyelashes are long and thick. The upper lip of a Dromedary Camel has a deep cleft, and their ears are quite hairy. Male Dromedary Camels have an inflatable soft palate, which they use to attract females! Camels store fat in their humps, and baby Dromedaries are born without a hump. The Dromedary Camel uses the hydrogen from the fat to combine with oxygen, thus manufacturing its own water internally!

Because Dromedary Camels have been domesticated for so long, their original range is unknown. The ancestors of Dromedary Camels evolved in North America about ten million years ago and spread out, evolving into different types of animals. For example, Dromedary Camels are very closely related to the Llama! Today, Dromedary Camels are commonly kept in captivity in Arabia. They have been introduced by humans to other areas of the world, but have been most successful in the Australian deserts, where feral populations now exist. They are used for their meat, hides and muscle power. Their milk is used for dairy products and for drinking, and their dung is burned as fuel. Dromedary Camels are even used as sporting animals and competitively raced! There are 160 different words in Arabic which all mean "camel".

In captivity, camels should be vaccinated for the same diseases cattle would normally be vaccinated for, and they should be wormed. Many Dromedary owners recommend commercial wormers. In captivity, Dromedary Camels are usually fed hay or horse feed supplemented with vitamins and minerals. They can be allowed to graze within fenced enclosures. These fences should be about eight feet high to prevent escape. Dromedary Camels are quite hardy and fairly easy to keep.

Female Dromedary Camels reach sexual maturity between three and four years of age and males follow when they are five years old. Usually, a camel will produce a single colt after a gestation period of a year to 13 months.