# can camels swim **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 10, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460 "2000-10-10T20:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oglesbyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@oglesbyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oglesbyi)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/1 "2000-10-10T20:30:02Z")
This is hearsay because I cannot remember the actual issue but National Geographic Magazine had an article years ago on the annual Amazonian floods. One of the photographs was of a sloth swimming. ---
**Author:** ![PUNdit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@PUNdit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PUNdit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/2 "2000-10-10T20:59:19Z")
Way back when I took Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, the professor said that all mammals could swim, but that some could not swim very well or long. Take that with a grain of salt, I couldn’t find anything to back it up. But, I have personally seen a 9 band armadillo cross a river that was waste high on me, so I would say they can swim. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/3 "2000-10-10T22:15:18Z")
Swimming animals was kicked about in GQ a while back under the title “Can elephants really swim?” (answer: yes): [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=28551](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=28551) See my link concerning the armadillo. Fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/4 "2000-10-10T22:50:05Z")
[The thread](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcamelswim.html) Obviously, the answer to the title question is no. Clams don’t swim. Or snails. Or sea ananomies (sp). ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/5 "2000-10-10T22:57:58Z")
Detailed answer by Jill, although it’s a pity her sources were so contradictory. _whistles aimlessly_ _Looks around_ What, still in Cecil’s section? ---
**Author:** ![PUNdit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@PUNdit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PUNdit)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/6 "2000-10-11T03:22:14Z")
I have a feeling that the controversy may come down to a definition of swimming. Toss a Chimpanzee in the middle of a river and he thrashes and flails and makes it to the bank. One scientist says that is swimming, the other says it is not purposeful propulsion through water, therefore it is not swimming. So, if an armadillo walks across the bottom of a river, then it is not swimming by my definition, but it is definitely purposeful propulsion through water. So, perhaps we need a definitive definition of swimming. PUN ---
**Author:** ![Narile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@Narile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Narile)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/7 "2000-10-11T03:41:32Z")
oglesbyi, I also have seen that Nat. Geo. Issue, but can’t recall the volume/date. Also, the discovery channel had a picture of a sloth swimming in one of its Wild discovery episodes on the Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![DaveoRad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@DaveoRad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveoRad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-camels-swim/36460/8 "2000-10-13T05:12:39Z")
How are we defining “animals”? I know for a fact that tarantulas can’t swim (they sink like stones and drown, not necessarily in that order). I’m pretty sure scorpions can’t either.