Camels are a genus of cloven-hoofed animals, which is represented by two species - one-humped and two-humped. The first species lives in Africa, and the second - mainly in Asia. Animals are characterized by high endurance and the ability to do without water for a long time.
Characteristics of a camel that help him live in the desert
When mentioning the place where camels live, an image of an animal appears, surrounded by endless sand dunes. This amazing creature got its second name - “desert ship” not in vain, because for centuries it has been living in hot and waterless territories.
The camel manages to live in this way thanks to the characteristic features. Firstly, the animal has a thick layer of thick coat that protects its body from overheating, and its body perfectly regulates the temperature. Secondly, due to its special metabolism, a camel can cost a small amount of food and live more than two weeks without a single sip of water. In addition, nature endowed the animal with a special body structure, which allows him to live in the desert. This is the distinctive functionality of the legs, as well as the presence of thick eyebrows, eyelashes and special muscles located near the nostrils, which protect the animal from sandstorms.
Unique body functions
The main places where camels live are deserts and semi-deserts. An animal can exist in such severe climatic conditions due to the unique functioning of its body.
One of the most important points is the presence of a thick coat of wool, thanks to which a camel can withstand a fantastic temperature - from -29 to +38 degrees. Another important fact is the ability to adjust body temperature depending on the environment. At night, it drops sharply and rises slowly towards the middle of the day. Thanks to this, the camel is not hot, even if the temperature around it is much higher.
Features of the drinking regime
Thanks to the unique processes of thermoregulation of the body, the camel practically does not sweat, as a result of which it loses moisture several times slower than other animals in the same climatic conditions. But, of course, the most fantastic possibility of this creature is the ability to do without water for about a crescent. This is especially important given the special environmental conditions where camels live. During a long stay without fluid, the body of this animal loses almost a third of its mass. For any other living creature, this would be tantamount to death, but a camel has the unique ability to quickly recover lost weight. In just a few minutes, he can drink about 15 liters of water.
There are several explanations for why a camel can go without water for so long. Some scientists point to the retention of fluid in the animal’s stomach, while others suggest that the fat reserves in the creature’s humps can gradually melt and release water from themselves. Relatively recently, a new theory has appeared, according to which a camel receives additional fluid from the blood. The animal has a special structure of electrocytes, which can freely move through the blood vessels, even when due to dehydration its blood becomes thicker. Also important is the fact that these animals can drink salt water, which is especially important, considering the regions where camels live.
Power Features
Animals are very unpretentious to food. They can eat almost everything - prickly grass, old leaves and other food that is inedible for other animals. This is further evidence of why the camel lives in the desert, where other living things have little chance of surviving. Most often, various shrubs that have long roots that can get to groundwater fall into his diet.
Of course, if there is juicy green food, the animal will not eat dry grass, especially since in this case it does not need water either. However, observations showed that with prolonged quality nutrition, a camel feels much worse.
How old are camels?
A newborn camel is born sighted and covered with wool, and after a few hours it begins to walk. The animal eats milk from mother for about one and a half years, and reaches puberty by about 3-5 years. As for how many camels live, the average duration is about 35-40 years, and some individuals even live to 70. An interesting fact is that one-humped animals live longer and outlive their two-humped counterparts for about 5-10 years.
Camels are unique animals that, due to their special structure, body functionality and distinctive ways of feeding, can live in deserts and semi-deserts. Animals have strong physical endurance and the ability to do without water for about two weeks, which is a death sentence for other animals. Despite living in harsh climatic conditions, these creatures grow to significant sizes and live long enough.