Camel is the name for one of two large even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus, the One-humped Camel and the Two-humped Camel. Both species are native to the desert regions of Asia and North Africa. This is the largest animal that can live in deserts and arid regions without drinking water. Join Toplist to learn more interesting information about camels!
1 Biological characteristics
The average lifespan of a camel is 45 to 50 years. An adult camel is 1.85m tall at the hump at the shoulder and 2.15m at the hump. Camels can run 65 km/h in short shrubland and maintain speeds up to 65 km/h. Two-humped camels weigh 300 to 1000 kilograms and one-humped camels weigh 300 to 600 kilograms.
Camels withstand the rigors of the desert because they have mane coats to protect them from the heat and cold during the sun or at night in the desert. Their feet have large claws that help them to walk on rough roads or on soft sand. More importantly, they know how to stay hydrated.
Camels do not sweat and also lose very little water in the process of excreting. Even nasal fluid is retained through a slit down the mouth. Camels can walk for a long time in the desert, then its weight will be reduced by about 40%. But mainly it can survive in the desert for long because of the hump.
Camels are best known for their humps. These bumps do not contain water as most people believe. These tumors are reservoirs of fatty tissue, while water is stored in their blood. This allows them to live for days without food and water. Camel fat is used when food is scarce. The tumor will then shrink and soften. When water is available, it can immediately drink a steam to make up for the lost liquid. Unlike other mammals, their red blood cells are oval rather than round. This facilitates the flow of red blood cells during dehydration. and make them better at resisting high osmotic vibrations without breaking down when drinking large amounts of water: a 600 kg (1,300 lb) camel can drink 200 L (53 US gal). ) water for 3 minutes.
Biological characteristics
2 Camel taming
Two-humped camels have two layers of hair: an inner undercoat to keep warm and a coarse outer coat that is longer, like hair. They produce about 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of wool yarn annually. The structure of camel wool is similar to that of cashmere wool. Common fluff is 2.5-7.5 cm (1-3 inches) long. Camel's fluff does not separate easily. Fluff is spun into yarn for knitting.
Humans domesticated camels about 5000 years ago. One-humped and two-humped camels are still used for milk, meat, and as transport animals—the dromedary in North Africa and Western Asia; two-humped camels in the eastern and northern regions of Central Asia.
Although about 13 million dromedary camels are still alive today, the species is extinct in the wild: all have been domesticated (mainly in Sudan, Somalia, India and neighboring countries). , as well as in the Republic of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. However, there is a wild population of around 700,000 in central Australia, which are descendants of individuals that escaped captivity in the late 19th century. The population is growing at around 11% per year. and recently the South Australian government has decided to euthanize this animal, because it consumes too much of the limited natural resources of sheep farms.
Two-humped camels were once very common, but now their populations have dwindled to about 1.4 million, mostly domesticated. It is thought that about 1,000 dromedary camels live in the wild in the Gobi Desert, and a small number in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia.
A small population of imported camels (one- and two-humped) lived in the southwestern United States until the early 20th century. These animals were imported from Turkey as part of the US experiment. Camel Corps and were used as sled animals in the mines, and they escaped or were freed after the project ended.
Camel taming
3 Camel is the largest animal that can live in the desert
Camel is the name for one of two large even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus, the One-humped Camel and the Two-humped Camel. Both species are native to the desert regions of Asia and North Africa. This is the largest animal that can live in deserts and arid regions without drinking water.
The average lifespan of a camel is 45 to 50 years. An adult camel is 1.85m tall at the hump at the shoulder and 2.15m at the hump. Camels can run 65 km/h in short shrubland and maintain speeds up to 65 km/h. Two-humped camels weigh 300 to 1000 kilograms and one-humped camels weigh 300 to 600 kilograms.
Humans domesticated camels about 5000 years ago. One-humped and two-humped camels are still used for milk, meat, and as transport animals—the dromedary in North Africa and Western Asia; two-humped camels in the eastern and northern regions of Central Asia.
Although about 13 million dromedary camels are still alive today, the species is extinct in the wild: all have been domesticated (mainly in Sudan, Somalia, India and neighboring countries). , as well as in the Republic of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
However, there is a wild population of around 700,000 in central Australia, which are descendants of individuals that escaped captivity in the late 19th century. The population is growing at around 11% per year. and recently the South Australian government has decided to euthanize this animal, because it consumes too much of the limited natural resources of sheep farms.
Camel is the largest animal that can live in the desert
4 Camels - the best hard-working species
Of all the animals, the one that suffers the most is the camel. A camel can carry 200 kg of goods, travel 40 km daily and can go 3 days continuously in the desert. If not, they can run 15 km / h, continuously for 8 hours without rest. Therefore, to reward them with the name “boat of the desert” is indeed shameless.
Walking in the desert, often encountering scary situations such as sandstorms on all sides, yellow sand flying in the air, heaven and earth spinning. At this time, camels calmly lie down, close their eyes, their long and thick eyelashes are like a curtain blocking the sand and wind, protecting the eyes. Waiting for the sand wind to pass, they stood up, shook off all the sand on them, quietly continued forward…
In summer, the sun is as fierce as fire, the desert temperature reaches over 50 degrees Celsius, walking in the desert is like walking on a furnace, even half a step is difficult to walk. However, camels did not notice at all. Their large toenails walking in the desert are like walking on flat ground, solid, not sinking. Moreover, under their feet there is a thick layer of horny padding, like a special "boot", not afraid of heat at all.
The greatest bravery of a camel is to work hard and without rest in the desert, maybe 10 days, half a month without drinking water. It turns out that in the case of drought, camels have a special physiological function against dehydration.
Camels are tolerant of the rigors of the desert because they have mane coats to protect them from the heat and cold during the sun or at night in the desert. Their feet have large claws that help them to walk on rough roads or on soft sand. More importantly, they know how to stay hydrated.
Camels - the best hard-working species
5 Special abilities of camels
The camel's very large mouth and nose are important for retaining water. The inner layer of the camel's nostrils coils in a spiral, increasing the air-breathing area. At night, the inner layer of the camel's nostrils collects water from the exhaled air and cools the gases, making them 8.3°C below body temperature. According to statistics, these special abilities of camels can help them save 70% of water in hot air exhaled compared to humans.
Normally, after the camel's body temperature rises to 40.50 degrees Celsius, it begins to sweat. At night, camels usually first drop their body temperature below 34 degrees Celsius, lower than the normal daytime body temperature. On the second day, it takes a very long time to increase the body temperature a little to sweat. Thus, camels rarely sweat, in addition, they rarely urinate, so they save water consumption in the body.
People who died of thirst in the desert, mostly due to the loss of water in the blood, the blood becomes thick, the heat in the body is difficult to spread, leading to a sudden rise in body temperature and death. Camels can still retain blood volume when dehydrated. It seems that only after all the organs of the camel are dehydrated, does it lose the amount of water in its blood.
Interestingly, camels can both "save water", and pay attention to "exploit water". The camel's stomach is divided into three compartments, the two front compartments have a lot of "water bags", which are used to store water to prevent drought. Therefore, once they encounter water, they immediately try to drink, in addition to storing water in the "water bag", they can also quickly bring water into the blood to store it for use gradually.
Camels that go long distances in the desert need to store enough energy. The amount of fat stored in a camel's hump is equivalent to one-fifth of their body weight. When they cannot find food, they can rely on the fat of these two tumors to sustain life. At the same time, in the process of oxidizing fat, it can still produce water, supporting the maintenance of the amount of water necessary for life activities. Therefore, it can be said that camels are both a "food store" and a "water store".
Camel special abilities
6 ways camels keep water in the body
Camels are adapted to life in the desert because they have mane coats to protect them from the heat and cold during sunny days or at night in the desert. Second, their feet have bulky hoof cushions that help them walk on rough roads or on soft sand. They walk on the thick soles of the soles of their feet, not on their hoofs, so they don't settle on soft sand. More importantly, they know how to stay hydrated. They urinate very little and allow their body temperature to rise, thus indirectly reducing water loss.
Camels do not sweat and also lose very little water in the process of excreting. Even nasal fluid is retained through a slit down the mouth. They only sweat when they are too hot. The nostrils can be closed not only to prevent sand, but also to help prevent water from evaporating when breathing. The tumours are full of energy-rich fat, so they can fast for weeks in the desert. Camels can walk for a long time in the desert, then its weight will be reduced by about 40%. But mainly it can survive in the desert for long because of the hump.
Water is stored in their blood. This allows them to live for days without drinking water. Camel fat is used when food is scarce. The tumor will then shrink and soften. When it has water, it can drink 57 liters of water in one go to make up for the lost liquid.
How camels keep water in the body
7 The hump is the camel's energy store
Camels store energy in their humps for times when food is scarce. Whenever a desert dries up or a harsh winter kills the vegetation in sandy soil, its only hope is the fat they store in the hump.
Many people think that a camel's hump is a reservoir of water to help it traverse hundreds of kilometers of hot desert. That is completely wrong. Tumors do not contain water but contain fat that animals accumulate when eating grass. 80% of its mass is slightly concentrated fat.
Contains no water, but the hump is actually a place of energy storage. Exactly, that white mass of 2/3 saturated fatty acids, has a temperature above 80 degrees Celsius. So even under the hot sun, the tumor still does not melt. In contrast, when a camel burns off that stored energy, its skin shrinks and the hump shrinks.
Tumors vary according to nutritional status, weighing from 1 kg to 90 kg for an animal from 300 kg to 800 kg. It is a specialty that the nomads share when the camel dies, used to cook soups, even used to treat flu. In an emergency, a camel shepherd who is lost or hungry can use a knife to cut a piece of the animal's hump to eat temporarily. After that, the animal's wound quickly healed.
Camels can resist thirst for up to ten days in the burning desert, not because of a hump, but by a very special physiological mechanism and anatomical form. In fact, the metabolism of the hump slows down when the heat is increased from 34 to 42 degrees.
The hump is the camel's energy store
8 Camel's hump helps them regulate body temperature
Have you ever spent a night in the desert? Otherwise, you probably don't know how desert temperatures fluctuate. Temperatures get hot during the day and freezing cold at night. This is due to the properties of the sand. However, the fatty tissues in the camel's hump provide insulation to withstand such extreme temperature fluctuations.
There are two species of camel, the two-humped camel that lives in parts of western China and Central Asia and the more common Arabian camel, which has only one hump. Those two-humped camels are called Bactrian camels. They are usually larger than dromedary camels with only one hump. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that can explain why Bactrian camels have two humps. However, there are loose speculations that Bactrian camels have developed two humps because they live in a harsher environment.
For example, the main habitat of Bactrian camels is the Gobi desert which is actually known for its harsh environment. The desert is characterized by an unusually cold climate, where temperatures can reach -40 Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius). Although many animals store fat around the abdomen and sides, camels do this vertically. One theory is that fat is stored in the humps rather than around the sides, which exposes the camel to less sunlight and less heat.
Because camel humps store food, their species need other ways to cope with water scarcity. For example, camels can drink up to 114 liters of water in a single sitting, they excrete dry feces to stay hydrated, and their kidneys effectively remove toxins from the body water so they can retain as much as possible. . Camels have several other ways of traveling long distances such as by absorbing moisture from each breath they take.
Camels' humps help them regulate body temperature
9 Why is it not allowed to touch dead camels in the desert?
If you are knowledgeable about outdoor survival, then you know that with the exception of camels, the carcasses of many animals are not easily accessible because the consequences are very dangerous. Travelers lost in the desert and extremely hungry can try to get meat and water from a camel carcass, but if you see a swollen carcass, beware.
Because, after the camel dies, a large number of bacteria will grow in the carcass, even if it is preserved with water, it cannot be eaten. In addition, saprophytes and cadaverine can breed pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, and human infection can lead to poisoning.
On the other hand, the carcass of a camel will likely explode. Fat in the humps of desert camels will be converted to organic acids, methane and carbon dioxide in an anaerobic environment; Proteins are broken down by microorganisms to produce gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Desert areas are exposed to a lot of sunlight, high temperatures, and the decomposition rate of camel carcasses is also faster. In this way, the gas in its body also grows rapidly, and eventually more and more gas accumulates, causing the corpse to swell into a full "balloon".
At this point, a small change can cause the camel's body to explode. If people approached carelessly, they might crash. Therefore, some scientists describe the carcass of a camel as a "biochemical weapon". Some of you may be curious: Is the power of an exploding animal carcass that great? In fact, similar things have happened before, here is an example of a whale carcass explosion. The explosion of a camel carcass may not be as powerful as a whale carcass, but it should not be underestimated, after the explosion, people nearby will be hit by blood and air waves, so they will be injured and will be infected with bacteria. attack. Therefore, if you see a camel carcass in the wild, it is best not to approach it.
Why is it not allowed to touch dead camels in the desert?
10 Wool fabrics made from the hair of extremely rare camels
The wool fabric made from this camel's hair is more precious than the already expensive Cashmere goat hair. Compared to common camels, Vicuña camels are lovely and graceful. In particular, its fur can be woven into fabric like fleece. And more than that, this fabric is extremely rare. Even today, it is still at least 5 times more expensive than other quality fabrics.
If you wonder why these animals are so precious, the reason is their fur. Vicuña wool is harvested from the fur of the most precious animal ever on the brink of extinction, and is the most expensive wool in the world. The Andes are famous for their harshness, poor nutrition, and erratic temperatures, which can be warm during the day, but bitterly cold at night. Vicuña's existence here is considered a miracle and this can be partly explained by the precious fur they possess.
During the time of the Inca Empire, the Vicuña camel was also considered a sacred animal. It is forbidden to kill it, and only its feathers are used to weave royal clothes. Despite its graceful appearance, the Vicuña is not a weak species. Due to its high altitude, and harsh Andes mountains, it develops an extremely large number of red blood cells in the blood to increase its ability to utilize oxygen.
The Vicuña camel's digestive system is also among the strongest like a machine. It can pulverize dry and hard grasses with ease. But most notable is the coat of the Vicuña camel. They are composed of porous, soft filaments that have extremely high electrical insulating properties. As we all know, most wool products are electrically charged, but Vicuña camel hair is not. Its fibers are only 12-14 microns thick, while Cashmere goat's hair is close to 19 microns, and sheep's hair is 25 microns.
In the textile industry, the thinner the natural fiber, the more valuable it is. In addition, Vicuña camel hair also grows extremely slowly, making it even more rare. At least, this "golden fleece" is also 5 times more expensive than Cashmere goat hair.
Wool fabric made from extremely rare camel hair
11 Camel milk and urine can cure cancer
A team of researchers from Arab Biological Company (ABC) has announced that it has successfully developed a drug consisting of several compounds extracted from camel milk and urine to treat cancer. Researchers believe that the camel's immune system is one of the strongest. Therefore, the new drug contains the powerful cells of camels that will attack the toxins in the cancer cells to destroy them without causing side effects.
The team of researchers confirmed that experiments on mice show that the success rate is 100%. After six months of being injected with the new drug, the mice with the cancerous tumors were still alive and functioning just like other healthy mice.
Dr Abdalla Al-Naja, President of the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF), said that the new drug, a mixture of camel milk and urine, has the potential to treat many types of cancer such as leukemia (Leukemia). ), lung, liver and breast cancer. The drug has been tested with good results in mice and will soon be tested in humans.
Worldwide, up to 6 million people die from cancer each year, and the disease ranks second among the deadliest diseases in the Arab world, after cardiovascular disease.
Camel milk and urine can cure cancer
12 Camels can drink 113 liters of water in just 13 minutes.
When camels need to recharge before long journeys, an adult can drink 113 liters of water in just 13 minutes. In addition, camels also possess a body that rehydrates faster than any other mammal on the planet. Unlike other mammals, their red blood cells are oval rather than round.
Camels carry a lot of unique evolutionary traits to help them live in harsh environments like the desert. For example, camels will have three eyelids and two sets of eyelashes to keep out dust and sand. They have extremely thick lips and oral cavity skin, allowing for a good "cup" of plants with long, pointed spines that almost all other animals cannot eat. Large, flat feet help keep camels from sinking into the sand and allow them to stand more firmly. This animal can even open and close its nostrils flexibly to keep out dust.
Not only as a mount, but also as a carrier, camels have also served as an important source of food for humans in the form of meat and milk for thousands of years. Camel milk is extremely nutritious, containing 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk. In particular, camel milk also has a structure and nutritional composition closer to breast milk than any other type. It also contains less lactose than any other milk, so even people who are lactose intolerant can drink camel milk normally.
Camels can drink 113 liters of water in just 13 minutes.
13 How do camels forage in the desert?
Flexible lips allow camels to graze on ground-growing grass and thorny plants to survive in the harsh desert. All three species of camels - Camelus dromedarius, Camelus bactrianus and Camelus ferus - have evolved to be able to live in the desert. In addition to a hump or two on their backs filled with nutritious fat, which acts as an energy store, they also have specialized lips to make the most of a rare food source in harsh environments.
The camel's upper lip splits in half, with each halves capable of moving independently, allowing the animal to graze on short grasses that grow close to the ground, which is important in the desert, where everything is slow growing. Camel lips have thick but supple skin that helps them break and eat thorny plants. In addition, the inside of the creature's mouth also has papillae that act as a lining to prevent sharp pricks, making it easier for the camel to chew and swallow food, according to London's Natural History Museum.
In general, camels eat grass, leaves and branches from any plant species in the desert, including hay and salt-tolerant shrubs. So what happens next after they swallow their food? The camel's stomach has 3 to 4 compartments. Food is partially broken down in the first two compartments before being regurgitated to be chewed again. On the second swallow, the food enters the other one or two stomach compartments, where it is digested by bacteria.
Another amazing possibility is that camels can survive for more than a week without water and for months without grazing, so they can wander for days on an empty stomach in search of food, according to PBS. .
How do camels forage in the desert?
14 Vicuña camel is the national symbol of Peru
In the past, only the Inca aristocracy (a tribe of Indians in southern America) could wear Vicuña camel hair. It is so precious that it is called "golden fleece". Vicuña camels, scientifically known as Vicugna vicugna, live only in the high mountains of the Andes. It has a small body, big innocent deer-like eyes, and yellow fur. Visually, the Vicuña is extremely graceful and elegant.
In Peru, the country that owns the Andes, where the Vicuña camel grows, people consider this animal as a national symbol, and have its image printed on the country's flag, coat of arms, and coins. Currently, Peru has about 2 million Vicuña camels. During the time of the Inca Empire, the Vicuña camel was also considered a sacred animal. It is forbidden to kill it, and only its feathers are used to weave royal clothes.
Despite its graceful appearance, the Vicuña is not a weak species. Due to its high altitude, and harsh Andes mountains, it develops an extremely large number of red blood cells in the blood to increase its ability to utilize oxygen. The Vicuña camel's digestive system is also among the strongest like a machine. It can pulverize dry and hard grasses with ease. But most notable is the coat of the Vicuña camel. They are composed of porous, soft filaments that have extremely high electrical insulating properties.
As we all know, most wool products are electrically charged, but Vicuña camel hair is not. Its fibers are only 12-14 microns thick, while Cashmere goat's hair is close to 19 microns, and sheep's hair is 25 microns.
In the textile industry, the thinner the natural fiber, the more valuable it is. In addition, Vicuña camel hair also grows extremely slowly, making it even more rare. At least, this "golden fleece" is also 5 times more expensive than Cashmere goat hair. It is not enough just to bring aesthetic effect. Try a comparison between Cashmere wool, one of the famous wools from the Cashmere goat that lives in the Himalayas.
The Vicuña camel is the national symbol of Peru
