Camels are very important to desert people. They provide milk, transportation, and meat if needed.

There are two kinds of camels: The Arabian camel, and the Bactrian camel. The Arabian camel has one hump and the Bactrian camel has two. The Arabian camel is the bigger of the two. It usually stands up to 2 meters (or 7 feet) tall up to the shoulders. The hump adds an extra 30 centimeters (or about 12 inches) above its back. The Bactrian camel, the shorter of the two, stands 1.9 meters (or about 6.5 feet) tall to the shoulders. It’s usually a bit heavier then an Arabian camel.

Camel humps are a store of fat. When the camel has no food it lives of the nutrition that is stored in its hump. Camels can also live without water for several days, but when a camel gets to water there sure is a water frenzy!