The camel belongs to the ungulate family, and this animal can survive in a harsh desert environment.Camels have lived in desert conditions for thousands of years. They are one of the most common animals that can be seen in desert areas in the world.All camels that exist today are domesticated dromedary camels, with dromedary camels making up 94% of camels all over the world. The remainder is made up by of Bactrian camels, which can be distinguished by the second hump they have. Wild Bactrian camels, a separate species, have recently found to be a threatened species and are now Critically Endangered.Camels are highly social animals. Males that have been driven out of their herds form their own bachelor herds. During the gestation period, an expectant mother will leave the herd for a little time. She goes on to find a calving spot that has a lot of vegetation. A newborn camel does not have a hump, and is seen with curly hair on peaks of hide that grow where the hump will eventually be.If you enjoy reading fun articles such as this one, why not go ahead and check do camels spit and how long can a camel go without water on Kidadl.A Camel’s DietThe camel has a diet that is largely limited to what it can have since it exists in harsh environments such as the Gobi desert. However, it manages to find food that sustains it in the desert.Camels are herbivorous. Their food is limited to the foliage existing in the desert. They consume short plants that grow in the desert, even the ones that are thorny. In addition, a camel also consumes salty plants such as the salt bush in order to survive. Camels are able to gain more food near oases due to water being available for plants to grow in abundance.Habitat And AdaptationThe camel is native to deserts in the world. It experiences extreme heat during the day and extreme cold during the night. A camel needs several body adaptations in order to survive these conditions. One of the first adaptations is their bushy eyebrows. These provide a camel with shade for its eyes, combined with long eyelashes that keep sand from entering the eyes. They also have special teeth that allow them to eat thorny bushes without sustaining damage to the inside of their mouth. A camel’s feet are wide and two-toed that keep the camel from sinking into the sand.A specific adaptation of camels that exists is the growing of thick fur during the colder season. Bactrian camels grow thicker fur during the winter to provide good insulation for their bodies. This fur is rapidly shed as the summer approaches to keep them cool in warmer months.Camels And HumansCamels and humans have had a relationship for many years. Humans understood centuries ago the necessity of camels in desert regions.The feral population that existed in the wild have been domesticated. The domestication of the dromedary camel occurred between 3000-2300 BCE. The dromedary camel was a term given to a larger group in the camel society such as the Arabian camel. These species are found all over the world in the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, and the Levant. Wild dromedaries are nearly extinct, but a small feral population exists in the inlands of Australia.These camels have descended from pack animals that were imported all the way back in the 19th century. Bactrian steppes were domesticated ever longer ago, around 4000 BCE. Camels have since been made a large part of human settlements all over the world. Camels have popularly been called, ships of the desert. It is a title that holds true as they have been the most reliable mode of crossing deserts for hundreds of years.Camel Humps And Other Water-Saving TacticsThe camel has used its hump as a prominent part of its survival in arid environments. The Bactrian camel usually has two humps while dromedary camels have one hump.It is this hump that helps a camel in going long periods of time in the desert without water. Contrary to popular belief, the hump of a camel is used to store fat, not water. A camel is able to store 80 lb (36.2 kg) of fat inside its hump. It can use this fat to survive the freezing cold nights and winters in the desert. The fat is used in the absence of food and water. The length of the period that camels can go for without food or water depends largely on the amount of fat that is stored in the hump. Camels can go for somewhere near a week without water. When it does find water, it can drink and store 32 gal (145.4 L) in one go.Camels are able to go longer periods of time without water. This is because a camel’s body extracts water from green food that it consumes during the winter. The length of this period may vary depending on how much green food is available. This green food is available close to oases where water is largely present.Adaptations For Hot ClimatesA camel has a habitat that is extreme in its nature. Heat would be a serious problem if not for the several body adaptations that a camel has.To begin with, there are several ways that camels keep sand from getting into their bodies. Camels have the ability to shut off their nostrils, and protect the nasal passage from sand that blows in. This is in addition to their long eyelashes that keep the sand away from their eyes. Moreover, a camel features thick bare spots on its chest, giving it the ability to lay down on the hot sand, without feeling warm. These thick patches give a form of layer between the camel’s body and the ground, keeping the heat and radiation at bay.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how do camels survive in the desert then why not take a look at what do camels eat or camel teeth.
The camel belongs to the ungulate family, and this animal can survive in a harsh desert environment.
