The dromedary (''Camelus dromedarius''), also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel and one-humped camel, is a large
camel
A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
of the genus ''
Camelus'' with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the three camel species; adult males stand at the shoulder, while females are tall. Males typically weigh between , and females weigh between .
The dromedary's distinctive features include its long, curved neck, narrow chest, a single hump, and long hairs on the throat, shoulders, and hump. The coat is generally a shade of brown. The hump, tall or more, is made of fat bound together by
fibrous tissue.
The dromedary feeds on foliage and desert vegetation; several adaptations, such as the ability to tolerate losing more than 30% of its total water content, allow it to thrive in its desert habitat. Mating occurs annually and peaks in the rainy season; females bear a single calf after a
gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...
of 15 months. It is mainly active during daylight hours and forms herds of about 20 individuals, which are led by a
dominant male.
The dromedary has not occurred naturally in the wild for nearly 2,000 years. It was probably first
domesticated in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
about 4,000 years ago, or in
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
where paintings of it found in
Laas Geel date from 5,000 to 9,000 years ago. In the wild, the dromedary inhabited arid regions, including the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
. The domesticated dromedary is generally found in the semiarid to arid regions of the Old World, mainly in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and a significant feral population occurs in Australia. Products of the dromedary, including its meat and milk, support several North African tribes; it is also commonly used for riding and as a pack animal.
Etymology
The common name "dromedary" comes from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th ' or the
-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
' or the Late Latin . These originated from the
used in Greek in the combination (), literally "running camel", to refer to the dromedary.
The first recorded use in English of the name "dromedary" occurred in the 14th century.
The dromedary possibly originated in Arabia or Somalia, so is sometimes referred to as the Arabian or East African camel.