Wildlife discovery: Desert Camels

As other animals yearn for food, shelter and water; camels are animals that can survive and live in deserts. Well, camels were discovered over 40 million years ago.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

As other animals yearn for food, shelter and water; camels are animals that can survive and live in deserts. Well, camels were discovered over 40 million years ago.The most famous types of camels are the Dromedaries and they live in Sudan, Somali and other semi desert areas in Africa. The other type is the Bactrian Camels which live in Arabia.God created camels in such a way that they can resist high temperatures. Camels resist the lack of water in deserts by changing their body temperatures depending on the environment temperature. The ability to moderate their body temperatures helps the Camels to save about five liters of water a day.Imagine this. Camels can spend 17 days walking under the scorching sun without drinking water. However, if it finds water it finds a good thing! Camel can drink 120 liters of water at once in just 7-8 minutes. They have a brown thick coat that acts as an insulating layer. It reflects the sun’s heat away so that it does not enter its body. Its hoof is perfect for the unstable sand. Camels have thick eye brows and eye lashes that protect their eyes against sand and the sun.These desert walkers are so famous for their hump. People have often said that it’s where camels keep water which is wrong. A camel’s hump is a fat reservoir for its body.Since history days, camels have been war figures. For example Julius Caesar the Great is said to have used camels as transportation during his conquests. This is because they are able to carry heavy loads hence they are referred to as "desert ships.” Camels are multipurpose animals. Their milk is the basic food for desert dwellers. Interestingly, camels are excellent swimmers once they hit the water.