What does cama mean?
A cama is a rare intergeneric hybrid created by artificially inseminating a female llama with semen from a male dromedary camel. The name blends the two parent species' common names, much like 'liger' or 'zorse'. Because camels (Old World) and llamas (South American camelids) diverged from a shared ancestor long ago, natural mating is impossible; the first cama was born in 1998 at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai. Breeders aimed to produce an animal with the camel's size, endurance, and load-carrying capacity alongside the llama's calmer disposition and higher-quality fleece. Camas are fertile within their line but remain extremely uncommon, known almost entirely from captive breeding programmes. The word appears mainly in zoological literature and popular-science coverage, not in general conversation.
nounA cama is a hybrid animal produced by crossing a male dromedary camel with a female llama via artificial insemination. It combines the camel's size and stamina with the llama's more manageable temperament and finer fleece.
- A hybrid animal bred from a male dromedary camel and a female llama.
"The zoo's newest attraction is a cama, the unlikely offspring of a camel and a llama."
"The first cama was born in 1998 at a camel reproduction centre in Dubai."
"Breeders hoped each cama would combine camel strength with the docile nature of the llama."
Regular English plural; used chiefly in scientific and journalistic contexts describing breeding programmes.
"Only a handful of camas have ever been born outside laboratory conditions."
Camels and llamas split from a common ancestor millions of years ago — but in 1998 scientists in Dubai brought them back together to create the cama.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cama
The word 'cama' is a modern portmanteau coined in the late 20th century, combining 'camel' and 'llama' to name the newly created hybrid. It has no classical root; its formation follows the same blending pattern that produced words such as 'liger' (lion–tiger). It arose after the successful 1998 crossbreeding experiment in Dubai gave the animal a name worth recording.
How cama is actually used
The word is a rare technical term used mainly in zoology, veterinary science, and popular science writing about hybrid animals. It is not part of everyday vocabulary, and it should not be confused with the Spanish word 'cama' meaning 'bed'.
Easily confused with cama
A llama is itself a South American camelid, whereas a cama is the artificial hybrid of a camel and a llama.
A guanaco is a wild South American camelid species; a cama exists only through human-assisted crossbreeding of two different species.