Camel Hump

The Camel Hump is surrounded by numerous myths and legends, as there is pretty much misunderstanding about its true function in the Camel’s body. Humps do not contain water, as many people think. They contain fats that are extracted from food consumed by the animal. Camels are apt to use these fats as a substitute for food when traveling across desert, where food is not readily available. This is a unique adaptation, which allows Camels to stay without food for several days.

Camel Humps are not the only means of survival in desert for this animal. Camels have a unique blood circulation system, in which a lot of water can be stored. These animals can take large amounts of water – much more than any other animal. As we can see, the humps and the blood circulation system are the two things without which the Camel would not have played the crucial role in carrying people and goods across the seas of sand as “the boat of the desert”.

Camels have a few more adaptations that place them above all other animals in terms of survival capacity. They have a strong digestive system, which permits them to deal with very strong food, which is usually too hard a nut for other animals to crack. Their strong and sharp teeth make it an easy game for Camels to bite off thick and strong branches, and the mucous membrane of their digestive tract is resistant to sharp pieces of food. This is a wonderful addition to the Camel Humps, which helps the animal survive very harsh environmental conditions.

Their respiratory system and eyes also feature protection against desert hazards: the nostrils can open and close in such a way as to prevent the sand from filling the nasal canals, and there are thick and bushy eyebrows and long lashes above the eyes that help them keep the eyes clear of sand. Although Camels are well adapted to life in the wild, most Camels found on earth today are domesticated. The number of Camel Humps in animals is indicative of Camel species.

There are two types of Camels: the Arabian (the Dromedary) is one-humped, and the Bactrian is two-humped. Arabian Camels are common in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. The Bactrian Camel is found in the steppes of Central Asia. The Camel Hump is a kind of fuel tank for the animal, keeping him functional for hundreds of miles on long and hard desert roads.