5 strange facts about camels that not everyone knows

We all know a few basics about camels, such as they have a hump on their back and are invaluable 'treasure' to journeys across harsh deserts. However, in reality, there are still a lot of strange things about this wonderful animal that not many people know.

1. There are two types of camels in the world: Dromedary (or Arabic camel) and Bactrian (Asian camel). The Bactrian camel is the only surviving wild camel species in the world and is found only in two places: Arjin Shan Lop Nur Nature Reserve in China's Xinjiang Province and Great Gobi Rigorous Reserve of Mongolia.

This species is critically endangered with only about 950 individuals surviving in the wild. Except for wild Bactrian camels, most other camel species are considered domesticated.

Dromedary camel (1 hump) and Bactrian camel (2 hump)

2. Camels carry many unique evolutionary features to help them live in harsh environments like deserts. For example, a camel will have three eyelids and two sets of eyelashes to keep dust and sand out.

They have an extremely thick lips and oral cavity skin, allowing a good 'cup' of long, spiky plants that cannot be eaten by nearly all other animals. Large, flat feet prevent camels from sinking into the sand and allow them to stand more firmly. These animals can even open and close their nostrils flexibly to avoid dust

3. The camel's sturdy hump is the camel's most remarkable feature. However, contrary to the popular belief of many people, these bumps are not used to store water, but instead to store fat. This fat store has the effect of releasing both energy and water in the event of a deficiency.

In particular, these bumps also serve another important purpose: By storing most of their fat in one place, the camel's body is not covered by the thick layer of insulating fat like most species have. breasts, which help them maintain a cool body temperature in the 'deadly' heat of the desert. Dromedary camels have a hump, while Bactrian camels carry two humps.

4. When a camel needs to be refilled before long trips, an adult can drink 113 liters of water in just 13 minutes. In addition, camels also possess rehydration bodies faster than any other mammal on the planet. Unlike other mammals, their red blood cells are oval rather than round. 

Peanuts have the ability to drink a very large comb of water in a short time

5. Not only as a mount or a pack, camels have also played an important role in human food in the form of meat and milk for thousands of years. Camel milk is incredibly nutritious, contains 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk.

In particular, camel milk also has a closer structure and nutritional composition to breast milk than any other. It also contains less lactose than any other milk, so even people who are lactose intolerant can drink regular camel milk.

David Pac

Update 12 November 2020