Of the two basic varieties of camels, the two-humped Bactrian camel is the stronger. Having longer and shaggier hair than the one-humped Arabian camel, the Bactrian can endure the cold better. Carrying a load of some four hundred pounds (181 kilograms), this animal may cover a distance of thirty miles (48 kilometers) a day at a speed of two or three miles (3 or 5 kilometers) per hour.
The dromedary, a one-humped Arabian camel bred for riding and racing, can run through the desert at a speed of up to ten miles (16 kilometers) per hour and may cover as much as a hundred miles (160 kilometers) in a day. Since the camel moves its two right legs forward at the same time and then the two left legs, the ride is quite uncomfortable at a fast pace. The swaying motion may cause a rider to become seasick.
The dromedary, a one-humped Arabian camel bred for riding and racing, can run through the desert at a speed of up to ten miles (16 kilometers) per hour and may cover as much as a hundred miles (160 kilometers) in a day. Since the camel moves its two right legs forward at the same time and then the two left legs, the ride is quite uncomfortable at a fast pace. The swaying motion may cause a rider to become seasick.