# Dromedary (*Camelus dromedarius*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/dromedary  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The dromedary (Camelus dromedarius), also called the Arabian camel or one-humped camel, is a mammal in the family Camelidae and the order Artiodactyla. It falls in the giant size class, with a representative adult body mass of 601 kg; the lowest value reported by our sources is 360 kg. The dromedary is a diurnal, terrestrial herbivore, and checklists record it in Australia. It has 1 young per litter after a gestation period of 395.8 days, reaches sexual maturity at 4.7 years and has a lifespan of 34.2 years, with values up to 40 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 360 kg – 601 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 1.7 m – 2.4 m |
| Lifespan | 34.2 years – 40 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | desert |
| Gestation | 365 days – 396 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.43 years – 6 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.7 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Camelidae
- genus: Camelus
- species: *Camelus dromedarius* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Camelus ferus*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the dromedary?

The dromedary is a mammal in the family Camelidae, order Artiodactyla. It is also called the Arabian camel, Dromedary camel or one-humped camel.

### How heavy is a dromedary?

The dromedary has a representative adult body mass of 601 kg, placing it in the giant size class. The lowest value reported by our sources is 360 kg.

### What does the dromedary eat?

The dromedary is a herbivore.

### How long does a dromedary live?

The dromedary has a lifespan of 34.2 years, with values reported up to 40 years.

### How many young does a dromedary have?

The dromedary has 1 young per litter, with 0.7 litters per year, after a gestation period of 395.8 days.

### When does a dromedary reach sexual maturity?

The dromedary reaches sexual maturity at 4.7 years, with reported values from 3.4 to 6.0 years.

### Which countries is the dromedary recorded in?

Checklists record the dromedary in Australia.

### Who named the dromedary?

The dromedary, Camelus dromedarius, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dromedary