“A camel has two humps, because life is a struggle”
- this phrase, heard in the famous Soviet film comedy, has become a catchphrase.
Surprisingly, this is philosophical and, at the same time, funny saying, also has a biological meaning. After all, every person familiar with the theory of evolution understands that camels carry heavy growths on their backs across deserts for a reason. The hump is actually needed by the “ship of the desert” to fight for its own existence and serves as a mechanism for adapting to harsh living conditions.
A camel can go without drinking for two weeks - this is a gigantic period, especially considering that these animals live in arid parts of the planet. During dehydration, a camel loses up to 40 percent of its body weight, but survives and maintains mobility. The animal then drinks great amount water and returns the original mass. How exactly does his body work? Where does such endurance come from, and what role does the hump play in all this?
Common Misconceptions
The opinion that a camel stores water in its humps is completely erroneous. The hump is composed primarily of fatty tissue rather than fluid.
For a long time there was another, more substantiated version that gained enormous popularity. According to it, it is from the fat reserves accumulated in the hump that the camel gets all the water it needs if it does not drink for a long time. Water is formed during the oxidation of fats. However, scientists also refute this hypothesis, and here are the arguments given.
First: if such a mechanism were effective, other desert inhabitants would also store fat and use it when there is a lack of moisture, but only the camel has such a reservoir.
Second: During the oxidation of enough fat to replenish the lost fluid, the camel would have to breathe intensively. After all, the oxidation reaction involves a large number of oxygen. But with each exhalation, air saturated with water vapor comes out of the lungs, that is, no water savings are achieved. 
They found that the fat from the hump is partially transformed into water (water is a by-product of the oxidation reaction), but this is only a small portion of the total fluid needed by the animal. The camel uses other reservoirs with moisture, but we’ll talk about this later, but now we’ll explain anyway,
Why does a camel actually have a hump?
The hump is a remarkable adaptation that evolution has given to an animal that lives in places where few can survive. The humps have the following functions:
- protect the animal’s back from the scorching rays of the sun. Fat is an excellent heat insulator. Fat accumulations, also covered with thick and long fur, reliably protect the camel’s body from overheating in the desert;
- since almost all the fat contained in the camel’s body is concentrated in the humps, the rest of the body can freely release the produced thermal energy into the surrounding space. This way the camel cools down. This is another mechanism that protects the animal from the heat of the desert;
- in case of prolonged starvation, the camel begins to consume fat from the hump to replenish nutrients. If he can live without water for two weeks, then without food he can live for a whole month!
What else has the camel got?
Humps are not the only adaptation that allows a camel to survive in the scorching heat. Let's return to the question of why this animal can survive without water for so long. The fact is that a camel knows how, firstly, to store water for future use, and secondly, to protect itself from loss of moisture during high temperature and low humidity.
The animal accumulates liquid in this way: a camel drinks a huge volume of water at a time (up to 100 liters). This moisture enters a special section of the stomach and is stored there in special cells.
And the camel can resist the release of moisture from the outside:
- thick coat;
- the ability to not sweat for a long time when body temperature rises;
- narrow nostrils, covered with a special fold that does not allow moisture to escape out with the exhaled air;
- unique device excretory system, preserving most fluids inside the body. 
A man could not help but take advantage of such unique abilities artiodactyl desert inhabitant. Even today, in the 21st century, the population of the arid regions of Asia actively uses camels as draft power.
The camel is a unique animal from all sides. And his appearance is unusual, his habitat is unusual, and he spits well. Let's try to figure out one of the camel riddles.
Do you know why a camel has unusual growths on its back? Many people consider the camel's hump to be a water tank, thanks to which camels can go without water for many days in the hot desert. Actually this is not true. Camel, also known as the “ship of the desert” (due to its ability to carry heavy loads of up to 500 kg) – amazing creation nature. And not only because of its ability to go without water for long periods of time, but because of how it copes with the harsh desert conditions, including the heat.
But let's return to camel humps. In fact, camels store fat, not water, in their humps. Humps are food reserves in case of emergency. Camel calves do not have humps, as a layer of fat appears only when they begin to eat solid food. The camel's main diet is thorns. How do camels actually satisfy their water needs? Or maybe they can do without water?
The thing is that camels get water from the fat accumulated in the hump; when one hundred grams of fat is oxidized, 107 grams of water are obtained. If it's so simple, then why can't other animals adapt to life in the desert? After all, everyone has fat. The fact is that fat oxidation requires a large amount of oxygen, and for this the animal must breathe intensely. With each breath, dry desert air enters his lungs, leaving the body completely saturated with moisture. But in a camel, the moisture released from the nostrils during breathing is collected in a special fold and goes back into the mouth, preventing the loss of precious fluid.
A camel can drink up to 200 liters of water at once, and quite quickly. 100 liters of water – in 10 minutes. Camels are not scrupulous when choosing water. They will be quite satisfied even salty water. This, and their amazing ability to reduce water loss to a minimum, helps them survive in the desert. Some researchers believe that water is evenly distributed in the tissues of the camel's body, and not just accumulated in the humps. If this were so, then the concentration of salts in the camel's body would be lower compared to other animals. However, this has now been proven wrong. Unlike most warm-blooded animals, which maintain a constant body temperature, camels' body temperature varies depending on the surrounding temperature.
It can vary between 35 - 40 degrees Celsius. This helps them reduce water loss through sweating when the temperature rises environment. In addition, camels practically never experience dehydration. While most animals can die from dehydration, losing 20% of their body weight as water, camels can survive losing up to 40% of their body weight without serious consequences. Here is the answer to the question that arises when looking at some camels: why does a camel have a hanging hump - it’s just that when losing weight, all the fat that gave the hump its shape has gone out of it. As soon as the camel gains the missing weight, the hump will regain its shape. But why is fat stored in the hump and not somewhere else? The thing is that fat acts as an insulating material that prevents heat loss.
The humps serve as a kind of natural “roof” that protects the camel’s back from the scorching sun. By the way, from the famous children's writer Rudyad Kipling has his own answer to the question under discussion in the fairy tale “Why does a camel have a hump?” And if in the Russian proverb the hump comes from work, then in this work everything turned out exactly the opposite. The camel's hump was awarded for laziness.
Kids often ask questions why camels are called “kings of the desert” and how they manage to get by for a long time without water. In order to answer these questions, mom and dad first have to explain to the child why a camel needs humps.
The camel is the only animal that can survive without water in the desert for long period time. He has one feature - humps, thanks to which he manages to do this.
The camel's hump is where fat and other nutrients are stored. A few days before the journey, the camel eats a large amount of food and drinks a lot of water. He absorbs so much food that his hump begins to rise above his back, sometimes reaching a weight of about 45 kg. When a camel’s body needs food and water, the fat accumulated in its humps, interacting with oxygen, “burns” and is converted into water.
Scientists have reliably established that out of 100 grams of fat in a camel’s humps, 107 grams of water are released. Imagine how much water you will get if you “melt” all the fat in two humps of a camel, when only one hump weighs almost 40 kg.
In general, the entire structure of this unusual animal is subject to the “water saving” mode. Camels sweat little, so their loss of moisture when exposed to the sun is insignificant. Their breathing is slow, and their nostrils are designed in such a way that the moisture they release during breathing accumulates in a special fold, after which it enters their mouth.
They have peculiar cavities near their abdomen, also designed to store water reserves. These cavities are shaped like flasks.
The camel's kidneys several times filter the liquid to be further secreted, as if "sucking" the most valuable out of it. If you look at camel droppings, it becomes clear that all the liquid remains inside its body - the droppings are so dry that you can even use it to start a fire. Desert residents and travelers often use droppings for these purposes.
Such structural features of this animal allow it to steadily overcome vast distances in the desert, without any food or water. No other animal is so adapted to life in the desert.
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A camel can go without water for ten days, and without food for up to a month.
Towards the end of its journey and as the camel's strength is exhausted, its hump decreases in size and looks like it has fallen to one side. After a tiring “walk”, the camel needs a good rest in order to gain strength and stock up on new fat.
Having reached a water source, a camel can immediately drink up to 200 liters of water.
Humps also serve camels as protection from the harsh desert sun, covering most of their body. In addition, the concentration of fat deposits on their back provides excellent heat transfer, which helps these animals avoid overheating and hypothermia. The fat hump performs the function of a “thermostat”.
It is known that nights in the desert are very cold, so during this time the hump manages to cool down to 34 degrees. Thanks to this temperature, camels do not freeze at night. During the day, when the sun is extremely hot and the air temperature exceeds 70 degrees, the hump “cools” the animal’s body.
Camels have one or two humps, depending on where they live. For example, the Arabian camel has only one hump, since its habitat can be called “forgiving.” And the Bactrian camel from Central and Central Asia two humps, because climatic conditions his life is tougher. This species survives even in the harshest and extreme conditions deserts: scorching sun, lack of water, cold winter.
The popular version that a camel has water in its humps is a myth. In fact, fats accumulate there. But how then does a desert dweller manage to survive in harsh conditions, without access to life-giving moisture during long journeys? It is known that the hardy animal can live up to three weeks without a drop of water.
The hump is not the least important - in this part of the body the camel stores fat, which solves three most important tasks for survival in the desert:
- First, fat acts as a conditioner, cooling the animal's body and reducing the need for fluids. This effect is achieved by cooling the fat mounds at night. It turns out that the camel carries two cool bags on its back that neutralize the heat.
- Secondly, fat can decompose into water, and there is even more water than there was fat (107%, that is 100 g of fat produces 100 g of water).
- Thirdly, the shape of the humps helps grazing, making bending comfortable.
Where then does the water that a camel drinks on that day go? happy moment when the source is finally found? After all, at one time he is able to drink 150 liters of water. It turns out that water actually accumulates in the body of a desert animal, but this happens not in the humps, but in the proventriculus - in pockets designed by nature.
The main volume of water enters the blood, saturating the tissues, like a dishwashing sponge. The oval shape of red blood cells prevents dehydration by preventing them from colliding with each other, as in humans. It is not dangerous for a camel to lose up to 25% liquid. And for other mammals, the critical figure is 15%, followed by dehydration.
Economical moisture consumption – most important factor, helping the camel live in harsh drought conditions. These animals are not characterized by sweating - they do not lose water, but strictly conserve it. Normal temperature This amazing mammal, depending on the time of day, ranges from 34 to 41 degrees.
Camels breathe very slowly and rarely, which also helps retain moisture inside the body. The special shape of the nostrils not only protects against sand during storms, but also retains breath steam, returning it in the form of liquid back to the body.
The work of internal organs is also aimed at the strictest economy. The kidneys repeatedly filter the liquid, extracting as much as possible from it everything important for the body. As for feces, it contains practically no liquid.
By the way, it is better not to get close to camels; these wayward inhabitants of desert valleys know how to kick in all four directions with each of their legs.
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