Which Animal Runs Faster: a Camel or a Horse?
Camels are slightly slower than horses because they can only reach speeds of around 20 to 25 miles per hour while horses have an average gallop speed around 25 to 30 miles per hour. Racehorses are usually a bit faster than regular camels, but camels that are trained to race can be just as fast.
The topic also depends on the distance of a race. While racehorses may have a faster sprinting speed, camels have been shown to have much better long-distance endurance than horses. A camel can run 7 miles per hour for up to 18 hours. It can also run 18 miles per hour for an hour. One of the fastest race times clocked by a camel was 6.21 miles in 17 minutes and seven seconds with an average speed of 21.76 miles per hour. Racehorses are still better sprinters, however. The fastest speed clocked by a horse was 55 miles per hour.
Camels are actually raced against each other just like horses at racetracks. The practice is more common in other countries besides the United States, such as in the United Arab Emirates. This country is actually considered the center of competitive camel racing in the Middle East. Camels are trained just like racehorses with well-bred racing camels fetching very high prices.