Camels look slow and awkward, but at full gallop they can match the speed of cars on a city street. A camel can sprint at about 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and hold about 40 km/h (25 mph) for longer stretches. What really sets them apart is staying power rather than speed. Their legs, feet, and even the way they cool their brains are all tuned for covering long distances in desert heat.
A Camel’s Top Speed and Cruising Speed
A camel can reach about 65 km/h (40 mph), but only in short bursts.1Wikipedia. Camel It can hold up to about 40 km/h (25 mph) for longer runs.2Wikipedia. Camel A sprint lasts seconds to minutes, not the whole run.
Camels are large, heavy animals, which favours steady effort over explosive speed. Rough terrain, heat, and a heavy load slow them further.
Everyday travel is much slower. Over very long journeys camels are often said to travel around 15 mph (24 km/h) day after day, though this comes from a popular source rather than measurements.3A-Z Animals. Camel vs. Horse: A Full Comparison of Speed, Strengthen, Intelligence, and More Most of a camel’s distance is covered walking, not running.4Journal of Zoology. The locomotion of the camel (Camelus dromedarius)
That is why the speed you see on a tourist ride is lower. Tourist camels usually walk at roughly human walking pace, and handlers rarely let them run with inexperienced riders. At speed the camel’s side-to-side roll becomes larger and quicker, so the rider is thrown about much more than at a walk. Riders are usually told to hold the saddle firmly and move with the animal, because stiffening up makes the swaying worse. The 65 km/h figure is a peak for a fit racing-type camel on good ground, so it says little about what a rented or working camel will do.
Camel vs Horse Who Wins
Racing horses such as thoroughbreds, bred for speed, can reach about 55 mph (88 km/h).5A-Z Animals. Camel vs. Horse: A Full Comparison of Speed, Strengthen, Intelligence, and More A camel tops out around 40 mph (65 km/h).6Wikipedia. Camel On a racetrack sprint, a good horse beats a camel.
Over long distances the picture flips. Camels are built for endurance and do not tire easily.7A-Z Animals. Camel vs. Horse: A Full Comparison of Speed, Strengthen, Intelligence, and More Walking camels and donkeys use less energy than expected for their size, and less than horses or people.8FAO AGRIS. Thermal and metabolic adaptations to heat and exercise in two East African herbivores, the domestic donkey (equus asinus asinus) and the one-humped camel (camelus dromedarius) In a long desert trek, a camel would likely keep going after a horse needs rest.
A horse burns energy fast to go fast, while a camel spends less energy per kilometre. In heat with little water, the gap grows in the camel’s favour.
The Unusual Way Camels Run
Camels move the front and back leg on the same side together, a pattern called pacing.9PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance They pace often and rarely if ever trot.10Journal of Zoology. The locomotion of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) Unlike horses, camels keep this leg pattern across most speeds.11PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance It is an ancient trait, thought to have appeared around 20 million years ago.12PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance
A horse’s trot moves diagonal legs together instead. A horse also changes gait as it speeds up, from walk to trot to canter to gallop, each with its own leg pattern. A camel keeps one basic side-by-side pattern and mostly changes how fast and how widely it swings its legs. Camels do gallop at top speed, but pacing is what they use for most of their travel.
Pacing gives longer strides and more efficient movement than a trot, and the legs on one side can’t collide.13PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance The cost is that it makes the body sway side to side and is less stable.14PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance Because the legs on one side lift together, the body is briefly held up by only the two legs on the other side, which causes the sway. Riders feel that swaying motion, which is where “ship of the desert” comes from. Pacing suits flat ground like open desert best.15Journal of Zoology. The locomotion of the camel (Camelus dromedarius)
The wobble doesn’t topple a camel. Camels make up for it with broad feet and by standing on their toes.16PubMed Central. Determination of breeding criteria for gait proficiency in leisure riding and racing dromedary camels: a stepwise multivariate analysis of factors predicting overall biomechanical performance
Springy tendons save energy too. Tendons in the lower legs and feet act like springs, storing and returning energy at each stride.17American Zoologist. Elastic Energy Stores in Running Vertebrates That’s because several lower-leg muscles have very short fibres, leaving long tendons to do the work.18Journal of Zoology. The role of tendon elasticity in the locomotion of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) Less muscle effort is needed for each step at speed.
Feet Built for Running on Sand
Soft sand shifts and swallows narrow hooves, and sinking wastes energy lifting the foot out each stride. Camels avoid this because the soles are covered by large oval fat pads that work like snowshoes on sand.19Scientific Reports. Camel Footpads: The Mechanism for Walking in the Desert
The pads have a tough outer layer filled with gel-like tissue and stretchy fibres.20PubMed Central. Biomechanical insights into the role of foot pads during locomotion in camelid species The fibres stretch with each step and spring back to reshape the pad.21PubMed Central. Biomechanical insights into the role of foot pads during locomotion in camelid species As weight comes onto the foot, the pad flattens and widens, lowering pressure on each foot.22PubMed Central. Biomechanical insights into the role of foot pads during locomotion in camelid species When the foot lifts, the fibres pull the pad back toward its original shape, ready for the next step. The tough outer layer protects against hot, abrasive ground, while the soft tissue inside cushions the impact.
This is quite different from a horse. A camel has two toes on a soft pad, not a hard hoof, and the pad flexes with the ground rather than striking it. Hard hooves generally hold up better on sharp, rocky ground than soft pads do.
How Camels Keep Going in Heat
A resting camel uses less energy than expected for its size.23Journal of Zoology. Energy expenditure during level locomotion in large desert ungulates: the one‐humped camel and the domestic donkey Its energy use rises steadily, not sharply, as it speeds up.24Journal of Zoology. Energy expenditure during level locomotion in large desert ungulates: the one‐humped camel and the domestic donkey Camels use less energy per kilometre than other domestic animals, and less than people.25FAO AGRIS. Thermal and metabolic adaptations to heat and exercise in two East African herbivores, the domestic donkey (equus asinus asinus) and the one-humped camel (camelus dromedarius)
Camels also have a built-in brain cooler. When hot, they cool blood in their nose by evaporation and send it near the brain.26PubMed. Selective brain cooling in desert animals: the camel (Camelus dromedarius) Moisture on the inner surfaces of the nose evaporates, which chills the blood vessels there. That cooled blood passes the arteries feeding the brain, so those arteries are chilled before blood reaches it.27PubMed. Selective brain cooling in desert animals: the camel (Camelus dromedarius) During exercise in heat, the brain can stay up to 1.5°C cooler than the body.28PubMed. Brain cooling and respiratory heat exchange in camels during rest and exercise Breathing faster during hard effort increases the evaporation, so the cooling rises when the camel needs it most.
With the brain protected, camels tolerate higher body temperatures while working. Letting the body heat up means the camel doesn’t have to sweat as much, and sweat is lost water.
Blood and muscle add reserves. Camel blood appears to have spare capacity to carry more oxygen during harder effort.29Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture. Towards a basic understanding of the properties of camel blood in response to exercise Their fast-working muscle fibres hold extra carnosine, which helps buffer the acid that builds up in hard effort.30PubMed. Carnosine, anserine and taurine contents in individual fibres from the middle gluteal muscle of the camel
Carrying Loads Over Long Distances
Carrying a load of about 28% of body weight raised a walking camel’s energy use by only about 18%.31Physiological Zoology. Energy Costs of Walking in Camels, Camelus dromedarius Camels can carry heavy loads with little extra effort, which is why they are rated among the most efficient pack animals.32FAO AGRIS. Thermal and metabolic adaptations to heat and exercise in two East African herbivores, the domestic donkey (equus asinus asinus) and the one-humped camel (camelus dromedarius) The study compared a walking camel with and without a load, so it describes walking, not running.
Loaded caravans travel at a steady walk, not a run, because the goal is distance per day. A fit camel can carry a rider all day at walking pace.
How Fast Racing Camels Are
Racing camels are smaller, longer-legged, narrower-chested, and have smaller humps than other camels.33PubMed. Genomic insights into racing camels: inbreeding levels and positive selection linked to athletic traits Their genes show selection in areas linked to muscle, bone strength, fat use, endurance, and power.34PubMed. Genomic insights into racing camels: inbreeding levels and positive selection linked to athletic traits Racing and pack camels also differ in genes tied to energy balance and running speed.35PubMed Central. Genome Diversity and Signatures of Selection for Production and Performance Traits in Dromedary Camels
Pack camels are bred for strength and loads. Racing camels are bred for a lighter build and sustained speed, and they run near the 40 km/h (25 mph) cruising speed over set distances.
The genetic findings show where selection left its mark, but they do not give a simple formula for a fast camel. Training, feeding and care also shape a racing camel’s results, so genes are only part of the picture.
Racing is popular in the Arabian Peninsula. Races today use robot jockeys, GPS tracking, and live international streaming.36EBSCOhost. Camel racing
Ancient Camels Were Runners Too
Camels originated in North America, where small “gazelle camels” about two feet tall lived 16 to 23 million years ago.37Smithsonian Magazine. Meet the Extinct Camels of North America, From Ice Age Giants to Sheep-Size Runners Their slender limbs suggest skilled runners in open country.38Smithsonian Magazine. Meet the Extinct Camels of North America, From Ice Age Giants to Sheep-Size Runners Leg features like today’s camels evolved more than once, before wide grasslands spread.39Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Locomotor evolution in camels revisited: a quantitative analysis of pedal anatomy and the acquisition of the pacing gait