Camel



A Camel is a type of creature that inhabits the Kharidian Desert. These include dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius), which have one hump, and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), which have two humps.

In the free-to-play worlds, there are six camels. These are non-player characters that wander in and around Al Kharid, and have their own territories. Five of the camels have names and unique examine texts, while one of them is unnamed and shares its examine text with the camels in Ardougne Zoo.

Talking to camels
There are three phrases that players may say when talking to a camel:
 * "Mmm... looks like that camel would make a nice kebab."
 * "I wonder if that camel has fleas..."
 * "If I go near that camel, it'll probably bite my hand off."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the camel's response to such a negative approach (shown in the player's message box) is equally hostile. One of the following three responses from the camel may appear:
 * The camel tries to stamp on your foot, but you pull it back quickly.
 * The camel turns its head and glares at you.
 * The camel spits at you, and you jump back hurriedly.

Members may obtain the Camulet, which acts as an amulet of Camel-speak (later, Cramulet can be obtained), allowing players to speak to certain camels throughout the Kharidian Desert. When the player is wearing the camulet, the camel's response to their comment is: "How can you say such cruel things?"

However, players can only attack camels verbally - they cannot be physically attacked and neither can camels deal damage to players (at least in the Free-to-Play worlds).

Camels of Al Kharid
Heading from south to north, the most southerly camel is Al the Camel, who patrols outside the bank. Al is one of the bactrian camels, and has pale brown fur with dark brown tufts on his humps. His examine text is "A camel with the soul of a poet." Al is in love with Elly, another bactrian camel who lives to the north, but who knows nothing of Al's devotion nor of his poetry devoted to his love for her.

Next, just north of the tannery, is Alice the Camel. She is a bactrian camel and has pale brown fur, but her humps are dark brown. She has the examine text "A camel who's come from the south."

Patrolling next to the stall of the gem trader is the dromedary, Ollie the Camel, pale brown in colour and (given his location near to the Gnome Airlines glider) the examine text, "A camel who wants to fly some day."

Just to the east of Ollie is the bactrian camel named Elly the Camel. She patrols between the tents in the north of Al Kharid and the south-western border of the Duel Arena. Her examine text reveals "A camel whose love is unrequited." She is not in love with Al, the other bactrian, but with Ollie, who is considered a bit of a 'hunk' in camel circles. However, Ollie ignores her (being, instead, obsessed with flying).

Further north, on east shores of the Al Kharid oasis, is Cam the Camel, another pale brown dromedary with a dark brown tuft of fur on her hump. Cam's examine text is "A camel who likes to rest."

Finally, just north of the fire altar, is now the only unnamed dromedary, again orange-brown in colour, with the examine text, "Oh, it's a camel." This is the same examine text as the member's only camels in Ardougne Zoo.

Seasonal Event Camel
Louis the Camel featured in the 2009 Christmas Event, A Christmas Warble. Sporting a striped scarf to keep him warm, Louis could be found in the south-east corner of the Queen of Snow's Christmas Feast area. Players equipping a Camulet (members' item) were able to talk to him.

Comparison with real life
Both species of camel (C. dromedarius and C. bactrianus) are present in Al Kharid, with three dromedaries and three bactrians. This would not happen naturally in this world. The dromedary was originally native to northern Africa and western Asia, and was domesticated in central or southern Arabia at least as far back as 1400 BC.

In contrast, the bactrian camel is native to the steppes of eastern Asia, and was domesticated some time before 2500 BC, probably in northern Iran or south-western Turkestan, independently of the domestication of the dromedary. Although the domestication of both species pre-dates the setting of RuneScape, they were not domesticated in the same place geographically.

However, since RuneScape is not set in the real world, inconsistencies such as these are largely academic.