Camels are even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus. The Dromedary or Arabian Camel has a single
hump, and the Bactrian Camel has two
humps. They are native to the dry and desert areas of western Asia and East Africa, and central and east Asia, respectively. The average life expectancy of a camel is 50 to 60 years. The term camel is also used more broadly to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids: Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco, and Vicuña.
The name camel comes to English via the Greek κάμηλος (kámēlos) from the Hebrew gamal or Arabic "Jamal".
Bactrian camels have two coats: the
warm inner coat of down and a rough outer coat which is long and
hairy. They shed their fibre in clumps consisting of both coats, which can be gathered and separated. They produce approximately 7 kg (15 lb) of fiber annually. The fibre structure is similar to cashmere wool. The down is usually 2 to 8 cm (1–3 inches) long. While camel down does not felt easily, it may be spun into a yarn for knitting.
A fully-grown adult camel stands 1.85m/6 feet at the shoulder and 2.15m/7 feet at the hump. The hump rises about 30 inches out of its body. Camels can run up to 40mph in short bursts, and sustain speeds of up to 25mph.
Humans first domesticated camels between 3,500–3,000 years ago. The Dromedary and the Bactrian Camel are both still used for
milk (which is more nutritious than cow's milk[citation needed]),
meat, and as
beasts of burden—the Dromedary in western Asia, and the Bactrian Camel further to the north and east in central Asia.