How Fast Does a Camel Run?

Camels have been called the "ships of the desert." They have been used as beasts of burden for centuries, famous for their ability to thrive in temperatures and conditions that other animals cannot. Camels have a funny way of running, in that they move both feet on the same side of their body when they do. How fast can a camel run in this manner? Let's find out.

Types

There are two main species of camels. The dromedary camel is also known as the Arabian camel or the one-humped camel. It became extinct in the wild and remains only in its domesticated form. The Bactrian, or two humped camel, can be found in very small numbers in the wild in parts of the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia.

Time Frame

Camels are capable of reaching speeds close to 45 miles per hour. They cannot maintain this speed for the long haul but do have the ability to run slower for very long distances. Camels have been known to gallop at 25 miles per hour for miles. Camels are long-lived creatures, able to live as long as 50 years in some cases.

Size

The fully grown camel will be 6 feet high at the shoulder and 7 feet tall at the hump. The males are heavier than the females, with some of them tipping the scales at 1,500 pounds. Around 90 percent of the world's camels today are of the dromedary variety, and there are perhaps as many as 15 million of them around the world. Camels weigh 80 pounds when they are born and reach maturity in 6 to 8 years; 3 to 4 years with the females.

Considerations

Camel racing is big business in the Middle East, with race tracks set up just for this purpose. The camels have jockeys and race at a variety of distances. Interestingly, 9 out of 10 racing camels are females. In the United Arab Emirates for example there are an estimated 14,000 racing camels. A race can be contested at a distance of up to 10 kilometers and have as many as 70 camels at once participating in it. An international outcry was raised about the age of the jockeys, some as young as 6 years old, along with the fact that they were being trafficked from other countries for the express purpose of being a "slave" jockey.

Misconceptions

The long held belief has always been that a camel carried water in its hump. However, this is not the case at all. Both species of camel store fatty tissue in the hump that can be used as a source of energy. A camel can go days without food and water, relying on its reserves; they will lose almost a quarter of their body weight before having to replenish themselves with food and drink.