What is the 'meat ball' spitting out of a camel's mouth?

Camels have a "polygamy" mode. Male camels will mate with many female camels during the breeding season. Because female camels have a gestation period of up to 13 months and usually give birth to only 1 calf per litter, every 2 years, female camels are only concerned with the quality of their offspring. Therefore, they choose their mates very carefully and always favor males with the strongest genes and healthy physique.

Male camels that meet such conditions are the ones with the largest meatballs coming out of their mouths. This is a male camel's tongue that is spherical because the male camel inflates it.

The camel's tongue is covered with a thick layer of "calluses", so the thorns are not allowed to pierce. In addition, the tongue of this animal is covered with thorns and they have almost no pain receptors, so they will not feel pain.

The upper and lower jaws of camels are also covered with spines. This special structure makes it possible for camels to break the spines of plants like cacti. When camels eat cacti, these hard spines crush the cactus spines, so they can't hurt their mouth and digestive tract.

This pair of 'iron mouths' help male camels to survive well in the harsh environment in the desert. As for the female camel, the male that can spit out the bigger meatball will have a stronger survival rate and his genes are also better than other males.

Samuel Daniel

Update 31 July 2023