A dromedary is a one-humped domestic camel. People have long kept it for transport in dry regions of North Africa and the Middle East.
The hump stores fat rather than water. Long eyelashes and closable nostrils help keep sand out.
Despite their tolerance of heat, dromedaries gather in shade under strong sunshine. In shaded areas they rest with their bodies on the ground and ruminate, returning swallowed food to the mouth to chew again. In some pens, other camels filled the available shade, leaving animals outside it.
A study published in 2021 observed a camel market in Doha, Qatar, on 10–17 September 2019. It included 421 animals in 76 pens, some with shelters and others without shade. Around 11 a.m., each pen was filmed for one minute to compare standing, walking, resting in recumbency and rumination. Recorded temperatures were approximately 40–47°C. In sheltered pens, more camels occupied shade than expected from its area. Animals in shade showed more recumbency and rumination than those in sunshine. The capacity to live in dry environments coexists with behaviour that seeks a resting place away from intense sun.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
For domestic dromedaries, conserving genetic diversity among regional populations is also a concern. A Saudi Arabian study published in February 2025 compared genomes from farm camels to investigate population differences. The researchers identify vulnerability to loss of genetic diversity and recommend combining genomic information with ecological and physiological studies to inform conservation and breeding strategies.