Page 44 - For Men of Understanding

THEY CAN EVEN FEED ON THORNS
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Dromedary camels can resist temperatures of -52 C in the highest
areas of Middle Asia.

EXTRAORDINARY RESISTANCE TO THIRST AND HUNGER

The camel can survive without food and water for eight days at a temper-
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ature of 50 C. In this period, it loses 22% of its total body weight. While a man
will be near death if he loses body water equivalent to about 12% of his body
weight, a lean camel can survive losing body water equivalent to 40% of its
body weight. Another reason for its resistance to thirst is a mechanism that
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enables the camel to increase its internal temperature to 41 C. As such, the ani-
mal keeps water loss to a minimum in the extreme hot climates of the desert
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daytime. The camel can also reduce its internal body temperature to 30 C in
the cool desert nights.

IMPROVED WATER UTILISATION UNIT
Camels can consume up to 130 litres of water, which is around one third of
their body weight, in almost 10 minutes. Besides, camels have a mucus struc-
ture in their nose that is 100 times larger than that of humans. With its huge
and curved nose mucus, camels can hold 66% of the moisture in the air.

MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM FOOD AND WATER

Most animals die by poisoning when accumulated urea in the kidneys dif-
fuses into the blood. However, camels make maximum use of water and food
by passing this urea numerous times through the liver. Both the blood and the
cell structures of the camel are specialised in order to enable this animal to sur-
vive for long periods without water in desert conditions.
The cell walls of the animal have a special structure preventing extra water

42 For Men of Understanding