page_title: Dromedary
section_title: Characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Dromedary / Characteristics
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Dromadaire à M'Chouneche, dans la wilaya de Biskra, en AlgérieEnglish: Dromedary at M'Chouneche, Biskra province, in Algeria
context_page_description: The dromedary, also called the Somali camel or Arabian camel, is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back.
  It is the tallest of the three species of camel; adult males stand 1.8–2 m at the shoulder, while females are 1.7–1.9 m tall. Males typically weigh between 400 and 600 kg, and females weigh between 300 and 540 kg.
  The species' 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, 20 cm tall or more, is made of fat bound together by fibrous tissue.
  Dromedaries are mainly active during daylight hours. They form herds of about 20 individuals, which are led by a dominant male. This camel 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 of 15 months.
  The dromedary has not occurred naturally in the wild for nearly 2,000 years.
context_section_description: The dromedary is the tallest of the three camel species. Adult males range in height between 1.8 and 2 m (5.9 and 6.6 ft) at the shoulder; females range between 1.7 and 1.9 m (5.6 and 6.2 ft). Males typically weigh between 400 and 600 kg (880 and 1,320 lb); females range between 300 and 540 kg (660 and 1,190 lb). The distinctive features are its long, curved neck, narrow chest and single hump (the Bactrian camel has two), thick, double-layered eyelashes and bushy eyebrows. They have sharp vision and a good sense of smell. The male has a soft palate (dulaa in Arabic) nearly 18 cm (7.1 in) long, which it inflates to produce a deep pink sac. The palate, which is often mistaken for the tongue, dangles from one side of the mouth and is used to attract females during the mating season.
  The coat is generally brown but can range from black to nearly white. Leese reported piebald dromedaries in Kordofan and Darfur in Sudan. Piebald coloration in some camels is thought to be caused by the KITᵂ¹ allele of the KIT gene, though there is likely at least one other mutation that also causes white spotting. The hair is long and concentrated on the throat, shoulders and the hump. The large eyes are protected by prominent supraorbital ridges; the ears are small and rounded. The hump is at least 20 cm (7.9 in) high. The dromedary has long, powerful legs with two toes on each foot. The feet resemble flat, leathery pads. Like the giraffe, dromedaries moves both legs on one side of the body at the same time.
  Compared with the Bactrian camel, the dromedary has a lighter build, longer limbs, shorter hairs, a harder palate and an insignificant or absent ethmoidal fissure. Unlike the camelids of the genus Lama, the dromedary has a hump, and in comparison has a longer tail, smaller ears, squarer feet, and a greater height at the shoulder. The dromedary has four teats instead of the two in the Lama species.
caption: This camel has thick, double-layered eyelashes and bushy eyebrows (Algeria)
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