Which is bigger, Cape buffalo or dromedary camel?

Cape buffalo is somewhat greater than dromedary camel on weight — about 1.3×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

How do Cape buffalos and dromedary camels compare on height?

Cape buffalo: 1.3–1.7 m. Dromedary camel: 1.8–2.15 m. Dromedary camel is somewhat greater than Cape buffalo on height — about 1.2×.

How do Cape buffalos and dromedary camels compare on length?

Cape buffalo: 2.1–3.4 m. Dromedary camel: 2.2–3.5 m. Cape buffalo and dromedary camel are near enough identical on length.

Cape buffalo vs Dromedary camel

Cape buffalo vs dromedary camel

Cape buffalo is larger on weight

Cape buffalo is somewhat greater than dromedary camel on weight — about 1.3×.

A Cape buffalo and a dromedary camel can be compared on 5 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
	Cape buffalo	Dromedary camel
Weight	350–900 kg	300–690 kg
Height	1.3–1.7 m	1.8–2.15 m
Length	2.1–3.4 m	2.2–3.5 m
Top speed	57 km/h	65 km/h
Typical lifespan	18–29 yr	25–50 yr

What the numbers say

Cape buffalo is somewhat greater than dromedary camel on weight — about 1.3×.
Dromedary camel is somewhat greater than Cape buffalo on height — about 1.2×.
Cape buffalo and dromedary camel are near enough identical on length.
Dromedary camel is somewhat greater than Cape buffalo on top speed — about 1.1×.
Dromedary camel is 1.8× Cape buffalo on typical lifespan.

Weight compared.

Cape buffalo 350–900 kg

Dromedary camel 300–690 kg

Cape buffalo

A large, unpredictable African bovid whose fused horn bosses form a helmet across the skull.

Dromedary camel

The single-humped camel of Arabia and North Africa, which stores fat rather than water in its hump.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, Cape buffalo or dromedary camel?: Cape buffalo is somewhat greater than dromedary camel on weight — about 1.3×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do Cape buffalos and dromedary camels compare on height?: Cape buffalo: 1.3–1.7 m. Dromedary camel: 1.8–2.15 m. Dromedary camel is somewhat greater than Cape buffalo on height — about 1.2×.
How do Cape buffalos and dromedary camels compare on length?: Cape buffalo: 2.1–3.4 m. Dromedary camel: 2.2–3.5 m. Cape buffalo and dromedary camel are near enough identical on length.

Sources

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution
Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)

How these figures are compiled and checked