Page 32 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

The camel is an even-toed ungulate of the genus Camelus, in the family Camelidae. There
are three extant species; the one-humped Dromedary, found in dry regions in Africa, Asia, the Sa-
hara Desert and Middle East. The two-humped domesticated Bactrian is found across Central Asia,
and the two-humped wild camel Bactrian, a separate species from the other camels, is found in re-
mote parts of Mongolia and China. All three species are roughly the same size, around 3 metres in
length and 2 metres in height which includes the hump standing at around 20 cm. An adult male
can weigh around 650 kg with the females being slightly smaller.

Camels are remarkably well adapted to the
environments they inhabit. Their bodies can tol-
erate huge daily and seasonal differences in tem-
peratures. This is possible, due to subtle colour
changes they make in their thick fur coat; a light
colour reflecting the heat and a dark colour to ab-
sorb it. Its long legs keep its body high above the
ground, isolating it from the searing heat of the
desert sand. Camels living in Central Asia can to-
tally change their thick coats, from a very light
colour in the searing heat of summer, to a very
dark colour in the below zero temperatures of the
winter. The one hump Dromedaries have some
added protection, with thick pads on their,
knees, elbows and sternum. When hunkered
down on the sand these pads allow air to circu-
late freely between the hot sand and their bodies.

Camels spend most of their time in hot arid conditions where water is often scarce. However,
they are well adapted for such conditions. For most mammals sweating and evaporation can ac-
count for major water loss. However, with the camel’s thick fur coat isolating its body, any water
droplets on the skin are not lost through evaporation but are absorbed back into its body. Their
humps are filled with fat, and used as food on their long treks across the desert, but before using
this valuable fat as food the camel extracts all the water and uses it to hydrate its body. It also uses
this type of extraction to remove water from its urine and feces. When passed its urine is similar to a
thick syrup and its feces are so dry and hard it can be used immediately as kindling for a camp fire.
Its exhaled breath also undergoes filtering; any droplets of water found are removed before the air
is exhaled. This has earned the camel a reputation for having hot, dry and smelly breath.

Sand and sand storms are part-and-parcel of the camel’s normal every day environment.
Here again it’s well adapted for the worst these desert conditions can throw at it. Its eyes have three
eyelids. One, a normal set for closing its eyes completely, and another, a see-through membrane
covering that stops any gritty sand from entering its eyes. The third lid is another membrane it uses
to clean its eyes in the event of any sand getting through its defences. It also has long eyelashes and
ear hairs, and should sand become a problem, it can close its nostrils completely. To help it traverse
the sandy conditions it has huge two toed feet that splay out across the sand preventing it from sink-
ing. They are also heavily padded, protecting its feet from the hot desert sand.

Camels are herbivores, and will eat most vegetation like shrubs, herbs and grasses. However,
a desert environment offers little in the way of soft vegetation. What grows in the desert are plants
that are usually very tough and very prickly. To deal with this type of vegetation the camel’s lips and
mouth are lined with a thick leathery lining allowing it to safely pick and chew these prickly plants.
Once chewed it swallows the plants into a side stomach chamber( the rumen) where it’s broken
down and softened. The camel then regurgitates this cud, chews it again, and swallows it into its
stomach proper.

The camel is a remarkable animal, and although it may look slow and cumbersome, can
move very fast, topping speeds of around 72km/h. It’s also a true workhorse of the desert, trans-
porting heavy loads hundreds of miles across some of the world’s most barren and inhospitable ter-
rain, making it an indispensable asset for those people who live and work in the desert.