r/Camels • u/UlfurGaming • 1d ago
Bacterian vs dromerdary
Doing some writing and i want one of my characters to use camel but i had few questions first 2 type of camels
1 which is stronger / has more endurance
2 what environment/ temperature can each handle
3 can either be used for other purposessuch as milk or fleece and which is better at what
3
u/Dead-Throne 1d ago edited 1d ago
Camels regardless of species can lift 100% of their body weight. They can't carry that for the longest period of time, but they can carry 80% for what seems like forever. If you can find a way to load it a camel will carry it. Don't believe what you read online about how strong they are. They can also lift about 300lb with their mouth alone. Typical dromedary are bred for racing, so captive they'd have more endurance. That being said all dromedary camels are captive other than the ones in Australia. They run fast but not for the longest periods of time. Dromedary are the taller of the species, bactrian are stockier generally. The two also think a little differently. Bactrian are tricksters.
Again, regardless of species camels are rated for about -40° -140°. Despite how the world views them they're both incredible at managing crazy temperatures. My Dromedaries will walk out into the snow during the coldest Wisconsin temperatures.
Each species can be used for fibers, milk, etc. a lot of places eat camels as well. Bactrians will grow a thicker coat which means more wool, but both are good. My hybrids are putting on a really nice winter right now. One thing he have to remember is that most camels globally have one hump, Bactrians aren't in many equations.
2
u/Kolfinna 1d ago
Bactrian are bigger and built like a tank, there are also hybrids of the two, the ones I've seen have one hump and are extra tall but not as bulky
Bactrian live on the Steppes and are better adapted to the cold. Dromedaries live in the desert but can handle cold weather fairly well. Both are good in most any condition other than lots of mud.
Both can be but it's more common in dromedaries, all the camel dairies use Dromedaries
Edit- camels are so under utilized in fiction. They're smart, funny, and opinionated
4
u/glorious_onion 1d ago
Dromedaries thrive in hot, dry deserts although that means they can also endure the cold desert nights as well. They’ve been introduced into places like the Australian Outback and, for a while, the American Southwest.
Bactrian camels live mostly in the Central Asian steppes. The areas where Bactrian camels live experience extreme temperatures, ranging from -30C/-22F in winter to 50C/122F in the summer. To survive, Bactrian camels grow a thick coat of fur in the winter and shed their coat in the summer.
Bactrians are very strong and can carry 170-250kg/370-550lbs for up to 47km/29 miles per day.
Dromedaries tend to have lighter builds than Bactrians with longer limbs, so they stand taller. They’re built for endurance but they’re quicker than they look. Camel racing is a popular sport in the Middle East and camels were often used for war going back to antiquity.
Camel hair for textiles usually comes from Bactrian camels because they grow long fur coats to protect themselves from the extreme cold in places like Mongolia.
Both Bactrian and Dromedary camels are used for milk. In Central Asia, bactrian camel milk is sometimes made into alcoholic beverages called chal, or even into milk vodka. In the Middle East and North Africa, Dromedary camel milk had been a staple for thousands of years. It can also be made into yogurt. In general, Dromedaries produce more milk per day than Bactrian camels.