 The camels are
able to travel vast distances in desert, drink from waterholes far more bitter or saline
for others and eat almost anything, regardless of how tough or how thorny they are. People
can even survive on what is in a camel' s stomach. Camels provide milk and fuel as its dry
dung can burn readily.A camel has leathery mouth, tongue and tooth enamel, enabling it to eat thorny desert plants. They can drink 100 litres of water within 10 minutes for future use. They can live without taking in water for 3 or 4 days. The fur allows excess body temperature to radiate out and protect them from cold nights. |
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| Camels
usually travel in heaps to keep cool as the smaller the surface area relative to bulk, the
less the heat lost or gained through the surface. They can sweat to remove heat but the sweat is not seen. They can tolerate 25% weight loss (double the dehydration level in other mammals) without thickening of blood that would cause death in other mammals, as the blood plasma of camels is the last part to lose water. They have enough tear glands and double rows of long, curled eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand. They can close their noses by contraction of the circular muscle during sandstorms. The broad, padded toes are insulated to avoid the sand' s heat. The strong, flexible web of the toes prevent them from sinking into the sand. © Copyright 1999,
ThinkQuest team 26634 |
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