Camel

A Bactrian camel with two humps.

A Dromedary camel with one hump.

A camel is a large animal known for the hump or humps on its back. There are two main types of camels:

• The Bactrian camel has two humps and lives in Central Asia, such as Mongolia and Siberia.
• The Dromedary camel has one hump and lives in North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia. It has also been introduced to Australia.

Life in the desert

Camels are adapted to survive in deserts, where it is hard to find water and food. But not all deserts are hot.

• The Bactrian camel lives in cold deserts, like the Gobi Desert.
• The Dromedary lives in hot deserts, like the Sahara.

A camel’s hump stores fat, not water. This fat helps the camel survive without eating for many days.

Camels and people

Camels have been domesticated (tamed by humans) for thousands of years. People use camels for:

• Riding across deserts
• Carrying heavy loads
• Getting milk, meat, and wool

Camels are called the "ships of the desert" because they are strong and can travel long distances without water.

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