Camels belong to the genus Camelus, large ungulates adapted for survival in arid environments. Two species dominate the global population: the single-humped Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and the two-humped Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus and Camelus ferus). While synonymous with deserts, their distribution is widespread, covering Africa, Asia, and Australia. Their current locations reflect a history of domestication, transportation, and a small, truly wild existence.
Dromedaries and Domesticated Bactrians
Approximately 35 million camels exist globally, mostly as domesticated livestock spread across dry regions. The Dromedary, or Arabian camel, is the most numerous and has been extinct in the wild for nearly 2,000 years. Distinguished by its single hump, its distribution stretches from North Africa across the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and eastward into South Asia, including Pakistan and India. Largest populations are in East Africa (Somalia, Chad, and Sudan), where they are integral to pastoralist life, providing milk, meat, and transportation.
The domesticated Bactrian camel, identifiable by its two humps, is found across the cold, high-altitude deserts and steppes of Central Asia. Populations exist in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Their thick, woolly coats and tolerance for extreme temperatures (ranging from -30°C to 50°C) made them the preferred pack animal for historic trade routes like the Silk Road. Both Dromedaries and Bactrians are maintained as working animals, enabling human survival in regions where other livestock cannot thrive.
Habitat of the Wild Bactrian Camel
In sharp contrast to domesticated varieties, the truly wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) is one of the rarest large mammals globally. This critically endangered species has a fragmented and limited habitat, surviving only in remote, protected areas of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts. Their range is confined to small pockets in Northwest China, such as the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve, and in Southwest Mongolia, particularly the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area.
The Camelus ferus environment is characterized by immense temperature swings and extreme aridity. A unique adaptation of this wild species is its ability to drink water with a higher salt content than seawater, a capability unmatched by any other mammal. With fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining, conservation efforts focus on these protected reserves, differentiating them from the widespread domesticated variety. They traverse rocky mountain massifs, arid deserts, and plains, seeking scarce water sources near mountains.
Where Camels Exist Outside Their Native Range
Significant camel populations exist far from their ancestral homelands due to human introduction, most notably the massive feral population in Australia. Dromedary camels were imported between 1840 and 1907 from British India and Afghanistan to serve as transport for exploration and settlement. When motorized transport replaced them in the early 20th century, many were released into the wild, where they thrived without natural predators.
Australia now hosts the world’s largest population of feral Dromedaries, estimated in the hundreds of thousands, spreading across 37% of the mainland. These camels have significant ecological impacts, competing with native herbivores for food and fouling waterholes during drought conditions. Historical introductions occurred in places like the United States during the mid-19th century through the U.S. Camel Corps experiment, though those populations have long since disappeared. For the general public in North America or Europe, the most common place to encounter a camel today is within accredited zoos and wildlife parks.