# Can camels jump?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 27, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685 "2007-03-27T14:52:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![lizzard3807](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@lizzard3807](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizzard3807)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685/1 "2007-03-27T14:52:33Z")

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My nephew asked me an interesting question and I have not been able to find out the answer. Although I now know that African Elephants can jump, thank you to the archives for that tid-bit of information. But I am trying to find out if camels can jump. IF anyone knows, I would love to know!! 🆒 thanks

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### Author: ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685/2 "2007-03-27T20:34:19Z")

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It says camels gallop from this page: [http://www.asij.ac.jp/elementary/projects/4-r/webme/andreww/special.htm](http://www.asij.ac.jp/elementary/projects/4-r/webme/andreww/special.htm)

[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_gait#Gallop) seems to indicate that 4-legged animals have all legs in the air during a gallop, so technically, yes, camels can “jump”.

(unless you mean a jump from standing still)

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### Author: ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685/3 "2007-03-27T21:39:38Z")

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[QUOTE=lizzard3807]  
My nephew asked me an interesting question and I have not been able to find out the answer.  
[/QUOTE]

If you wanna impress him a little, you could point out that camelids (camels and their close relatives) have hairless armpits. Due to this peculiarity, TB testing is done in their axilla (armpit). That should hold him for a bit. 😃

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### Author: ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685/4 "2007-03-27T23:13:04Z")

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There’s a [Turkish proverb](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Turkish_proverbs) that seems to suggest that camels either won’t jump/leap at all (not counting their gait in galloping) or do so only very reluctantly:

> [@](#):
>
> _Cahile söz anlatmak, deveyi hendekten atlatmaktan zordur._
> 
> Explaining something to an ignorant person is harder than making a camel jump over a ditch.

(Now there’s a motto for the Straight Dope, eh? :))

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### Author: ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-jump/397685/5 "2007-03-27T23:19:47Z")

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yes camels can jump, at least in chess  
[http://www.chessvariants.org/piececlopedia.dir/camel.html](http://www.chessvariants.org/piececlopedia.dir/camel.html)