When you were a child, you have probably heard that camels use their humps to store water. However, this isn’t entirely true. The hump is in fact a mound of fat which can weigh up to 35 kilograms. Humans and just about all types of animals store their fat in their muscle tissue and beneath the skin, but camels are the only species which store it in a hump.
The hump is very important for camels, because they survive by it – thanks to the fat stored in the hump, a camel can survive up to two weeks without any food. And as you know camels inhabit the hot deserts where food isn’t easy to find.
Most camels use approximately 20 liters of water in the summer days, but they can use up to 100 liters without getting sick. Camels have a unique organism which allows them to preserve as much water as possible. For example, they are capable of handling major temperature swings – an average camel’s body temperature is 94 degrees F, but during the day it can raise up to 105 degrees F without affecting the camel’s health.
Camels will start sweating when their body temperature reaches about 105 degrees F, so as you can see their body does its best to preserve as much water as possible. It’s no wonder that camels are the preferred transport by people who want to travel through the searing heats of the desert.
