i experienced my first close camel encounter the other week at doha's agricultural souq - and i have the pictures to prove it...!
did you know that the arabian camels (aka dromedaries) found in this part of the world only have one hump and not two like the 'bactrian' camels found in rugged, colder climates?
there are approx. 14 million dromedary camels in the world today - some right here in doha! no, we don't see 'herds' crossing the streets and no one is serving up camel stew...BUT i have been told that you can catch a camel race or even a camel beauty pageant outside of the city centre...how one can find a camel 'attractive' beats me!?! they are however great in withstanding long periods without water made possible by a series of physiological adaptations. 
not only are their red blood cells oval in shape (not round like other mammals) to help facilitate their flow better in a dehydrated state but the cells are also very stable which prevents them from rupturing when they drink copious amounts of water - 100 to 150 litres in one drink!!! and speaking of water - camels do NOT store water in their humps as most commonly believe - the humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue which acts as a source of energy once the tissue has metabolized. this process also yields more than 1g of water for each 1g of fat converted through the reaction with oxygen with air. and those ugly noses...well, they also help in water prevention as their nostrils trap a large amount of water vapour during exhalation which is then returned to their body fluid.
their coats reflect sunlight, this prevents them from sweating until their body temperature hits 41 degrees. only then do they sweat at skin level not the surface of their coat. this efficiency allows them to preserve about 5 litres of water a day!
although they consume a lot of water, camels' kidneys and intestines are very efficient at retaining water - their urine is like a thick syrup and their feces are so dry they can fuel fires!!! yikes...
there are approx. 14 million dromedary camels in the world today - some right here in doha! no, we don't see 'herds' crossing the streets and no one is serving up camel stew...BUT i have been told that you can catch a camel race or even a camel beauty pageant outside of the city centre...how one can find a camel 'attractive' beats me!?! they are however great in withstanding long periods without water made possible by a series of physiological adaptations. 
not only are their red blood cells oval in shape (not round like other mammals) to help facilitate their flow better in a dehydrated state but the cells are also very stable which prevents them from rupturing when they drink copious amounts of water - 100 to 150 litres in one drink!!! and speaking of water - camels do NOT store water in their humps as most commonly believe - the humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue which acts as a source of energy once the tissue has metabolized. this process also yields more than 1g of water for each 1g of fat converted through the reaction with oxygen with air. and those ugly noses...well, they also help in water prevention as their nostrils trap a large amount of water vapour during exhalation which is then returned to their body fluid.
their coats reflect sunlight, this prevents them from sweating until their body temperature hits 41 degrees. only then do they sweat at skin level not the surface of their coat. this efficiency allows them to preserve about 5 litres of water a day!so, on that note, your zoologist lesson is over...you can't expect me to live in the desert and not post a blog alice!? :) i hope that you learned as much about camels as i have! quite an amazing creature really...ugly, but amazing!
3 comments:
pretty cool!
camel races would be hilarious to see.
how would you ride a camel that only has one hump? i guess you don't
Hi Mike & Krista,
Thanks for the info on camels. I'd like to try camel soup (in fact I'd like to try ANY kind of soup - haha.)
love,
Mom & Dad M
You are learning all kinds of interesting facts----- Too much info re their feces and urine-- UG!Next you will be going to a beauty pagent.Thanks for the info--- Love you mams
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