Dromedary Camel vs Gharial

Camelus dromedarius compared with Gavialis gangeticus

Key Differences

• Dromedary Camel is Not Evaluated while Gharial is Critically Endangered.
• Dromedary Camel is herbivore while Gharial is carnivore.
• Dromedary Camel is 3.0x heavier than Gharial.
• Gharial lives longer (60 years vs 40 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dromedary Camel	Gharial
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Crocodylia (Crocodilians)
Family	Camelidae (Camels)	Crocodylidae (Crocodiles)
Genus	Camelus (Camels)	Crocodylus (True Crocodiles)
Species	Camelus dromedarius	Gavialis gangeticus

Evolutionary Relationship

Dromedary Camel and Gharial share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Dromedary Camel

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Gharial

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~650

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dromedary Camel	Gharial
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	40 years	60 years
Average Length	2.3 m	5.0 m
Average Weight	600.0 kg	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dromedary Camel

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Sudan.

Gharial

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India and Nepal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Dromedary Camel

The dromedary is the single-humped camel, domesticated over 4,000 years ago. The hump stores fat, not water.

Gharial

The gharial is a fish-eating crocodilian with a distinctive long, narrow snout. It is critically endangered with fewer than 700 adults.