Camels are one of the most interesting creatures on Earth. They have been domesticated for centuries, and their uses range from being a beast of burden to being an animal that can be ridden. What many people don’t know is that camels have some pretty cool facts about them! For instance, did you know that they can go days without drinking water? That’s because camels store water in their humps! Here are ten more fun facts about these amazing animals.
1. Camels Can Drink Up To 100 Gallons Of Water In One Sitting
Contrary to popular belief, camels do not store water but rather hydrate through the food that they eat and extract moisture from their faeces. When a camel stores water there is only enough for three days while the hump actually holds fat and has nothing to do with water storage. Camels can go 30 days without eating and drinking and can even survive on a diet of sand.
2. Camel’s Milk Is Extremely Nutritious
This is partially true as the milk does contain about 10 times more iron than regular cow’s milk and is high in Vitamin C but also low in calories, carbohydrates, calcium and Vitamin A. The milk is considered very healthy for lactose intolerant individuals and it also has anti-bacterial properties which make it a common ingredient in moisturizers and shampoos.
3. Camels Do Not Store Fat In Their Humps
This false belief comes from the fact that when a camel’s body temperature rises their metabolism increases and fat is burned to produce energy. This process does not store excess energy in the hump, instead, the humps are filled with water which raises their body temperature especially when compared to other desert animals like bears whose internal temperatures drop during sleep.
4. A camel’s Legs Are Different Sizes
Most mammals have two differently sized legs, but camels are different in that they have three. The bottom of the leg on one side is equal to the combined height of the upper two legs. This allows them to efficiently use water while walking since their strides match up with where they need to place their feet when crossing desert terrain.
5. Camels Can Travel Up To 6 Days Without Water
If a camel does have access to water it can easily go 6 days without drinking which allows them to survive in some of the driest climates on earth.
6. They Are Mentioned In The Bible Over 50 Times
Camels showed up around 2000 BC in Africa and according to archaeologists, are currently found in over 90 countries.
7. Camel’s Blood Is Used For Medical Treatments
The antibodies found in camel blood can be used to treat dengue fever, hepatitis B and haemorrhagic diseases like shock, Dengue fever which infects 50-100 million people each year globally.
8. They Are The Ships Of The Desert
The average speed of a camel’s walk is 2.5 mph or 5 km/hr which means that they can cover 65 miles (105 km) in one day, making them the official ships of the desert!
9. Camels Were Once Thought To Be Fish
The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once made the argument that camels must have been fishing because they are found in dry places and need to stay moist. This is of course 100% false but shows just how little people knew about camels back then.
10. Camels Can Survive Without Eating For Up To A Months
When camels go through their water-saving fat metabolism, the food that they would usually eat is stored in the humps. This means that camels can survive up to a year without eating anything at all because it has already been eaten.
Camels are amazing animals with many interesting behaviours and unique adaptations that allow them to live in some of the harshest environments on Earth. They are in fact in North America but in very small numbers in Arizona, Texas, and the Mexican border.
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