Minecraft camels: what we know about our new desert pals

Hop into the dual-saddle and join us on a Minecraft camel tour. With the freshly released Minecraft 1.20 'Trails and Tales' update, we've dug an oasis packed with info on the newest cute and derpy mob, and the camel is here to check out.

As you may have guessed, the newest mob is a resident in Minecraft's deserts, giving some life and diversity to the windblown sand and cactii. Even better, they're adorable on every level and make fantastic floppy-eared buddies to pick for an expedition across unknown lands. Here's what we know about the Minecraft camel as we start to make friends.

What do Minecraft camels do?

Meandering around the sands of the desert and clustering in desert villages, the new camel joins the exclusive—and small—family of desert dwelling mobs. But more than just hanging out as four legged scenery, the camel is a member of other exclusive clubs. While the cutest club it's joined with release may be animals that can sit, there are a few other more important things the camel brings to the table.

While joining animals like the horse, pig, and llama as an animal you can ride, what's even cooler is that the camel is the first animal in Minecraft that you can ride with a friend. Based on their unique size and real life capacity for multiple riders, the Minecraft camel lets you bring a pal along to ride with you. Perfect for those long sightseeing expeditions, or just bringing back your latest mining haul with a buddy.

The camel also has a "unique riding experience" and is able to dash horizontally across ravines or rivers instead of having a high vertical jump like horses. While mounted, most mobs won't be able to reach you to attack you, so they make excellent battle mounts—just make sure you don't let them get hurt too much.

So lets recap what we know about our new camel buddies:

• Where do you find camels? Deserts, specifically desert villages.
• Can camels be bred? Yes, camels eat cactus, as some do in real life.
• Can camels be tamed? Camels don't need to be tamed—though that could change in the future.
• Are camels hostile? Nope. They're friendly fellas.
• Can camels jump extra high like horses? No, their specialty is the dash feature. However, camels can walk right over 1.5 block height like fences and walls. Handy!
• Do camels have inventories like donkeys? Nope, no inventories on them.
• What do camels drop? Currently, just 1-3 experience and a saddle if they were equipped with one.
• How many hearts do camels have? Camels are tougher than horses, with 32 health points, which equates to 16 player hearts.
• Can you ride camels? Absolutely, and so can a friend!

Can I check out Minecraft camels already?

You bet your humps you can, they're in with the release of the 1.20 update. Though they went through revisions before release to fix a bug that allowed passengers to trigger the camel's dash ability while riding in the back. Though clearly they needed the bug fix, nothing will be as amusing as the idea of a passenger convincing the camel to go for a surprise run.