What Do Camels Eat in Desolate Deserts?

You can find camels in desert areas outside Dubai, Cairo, and other cities in the Middle East. Buena Vista Images / Getty Images

Camels: nature’s ultimate desert survivors! But what do camels eat? These incredible animals have adapted to eat some of the toughest, driest and least appetizing plants on Earth. From thorny plants to salty plants, camels manipulate their environment to get the nutrients they need.

Whether we’re talking about wild Bactrian camels or domesticated dromedary camels, their diet revolves around survival. Living in a harsh desert environment, camels survive on whatever vegetation they can find, even if it means eating things most other animals wouldn’t touch.

So, let’s dig into what makes their diet so unique!

The Diet of Domesticated Camels

tourist riding camel — Camels' tough but flexible lips serve them well in harsh desert environments. Edwin Tan / Getty Images

Domesticated camels, such as the Arabian camel and domesticated dromedary camels, live in captivity and therefore eat a diet carefully managed by humans.

Feeding camels in captivity often involves grains, hay and dried grasses to keep them healthy. Unlike their wild counterparts, these camels don’t have to search for food in extreme conditions.

However, even domesticated camels are built for tough eating. They can chew through thorny plants without injury thanks to their tough mouths and their ability to extract nutrients from dry vegetation makes them incredibly efficient at surviving on minimal food.

What Wild Camels Eat

Wild Bactrian camels live in the remote Bactrian steppes and the Gobi Desert, where food is scarce. Unlike their domesticated relatives, they rely on desert vegetation, including thorny plants, dry shrubs and even tough grasses.

They can also eat salty plants that most animals would avoid, allowing them to survive where other species cannot.

Organizations like the Wild Camel Protection Foundation work to protect these rare animals and their fragile ecosystem. Since wild camels face extreme conditions, they have developed the ability to go long periods without food, storing energy in their humps for times when resources are low.

How Camels Survive in the Desert

Camels survive in the harsh desert environment by adapting their diet to whatever is available. When desert sand covers fresh vegetation, camels use their strong lips to brush it away and access the food beneath. They can also drink salty or brackish water without harm, a rare ability among mammals.

Newborn camels start life drinking milk, but as they grow, they quickly learn to eat whatever their surroundings provide. Whether it's a tough shrub or a salty bush, camels manipulate their environment to find food and keep going.

The Role of Food in Camel Society

In camel society, food isn’t just about survival; it also plays a role in their behavior and movement patterns. Herds migrate in search of food sources, traveling vast distances across the desert.

A well-fed camel is a strong camel, capable of carrying heavy loads and enduring long journeys without needing to eat frequently.

Whether it’s the Bactrian steppes or the Gobi desert, camels are living proof that adaptation is key to survival. So next time you wonder what camels eat, remember: Even if it’s tough, dry or covered in thorns, a camel can probably eat it.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.