Introduction
If you have ever been to a desert, one thing you can't say is that you haven't seen a camel. And one thing you shouldn't do is to come back without riding it.
Sure there isn't any rule that mandates you to ride a camel when you visit a desert, but you would miss a humpy ride in desert, the experience you could share with your children and grand-children.
Image Source: Pixabay
A few things everyone know about camel is that it has a hump on its back, it spit at people and it is found in desert.
But if you are one of those who know only these three things about camel, you are missing a lot about this beautiful desert creature.
Now let's make camel more interesting for you by sharing some basic knowledge about it.
Features.
Image Source: Pixabay
If you spot a 7 feet high, 1500 pounds weigh, brown coloured mammal in desert, you can't mistake it to another animal but camel.
They are specially adapted to wander in the cruelest desert where no other animal can easily live.
Camels are most famous for their humps, most people believe that they store water in it, while the fact is that they store fat which they can use when no other source of energy is available. Also concentrating fat on its back prevents heat transmission to its body and insulate it. That's why they survive longer in desert.
Sometimes you might have spotted a camel with two humps and sometimes with one, and wondered where did the other hump go, or is it the difference between male and female?
Well, Asian camels have two humps while Arabian camels have only one.
Mostly, you might have seen camel walking sluggishly, masticating its food, but seldom you have seen it running. Yes camels can run easily, and that too at 40 miles per hour.
A healthy camel with no misfortune in desert could live up to 50 years, so there is a chance you could enjoy that fun ride again with same camel when you visit desert next time.
Camels are social and peaceful animals, and they might get friendly with you in a single ride, but when provoked, they spit a green substance and kick with all four legs.
So you don't want to mess with a camel, and specially keep yourself away from a rutting male.
Why They Are The Only Animal To Survive In Desert.
Image Source: Pixabay
They have been used in numerous wars (especially in desert wars) as their ability to travel long distances without much need of food and water, along with carrying huge supplies, they could be consumed too.
Their meat is used for food and fur for clothing, so they are already much beneficial to the travelers.
Camels fur reflect the desert sun, keeps it cool at day and warm at night.
Camels three set of eyelids and two set of eyelashes keep the dust out of its eyes so it can see clearly. Its ears are small and hairy, but its hearing power is very strong.
They can close their nostrils to prevent dust from entering its nose.
So camel is a fully equipped desert ride.
They can walk easily on sand because of its specially designed two toes, which spread when they walk on sand and prevent it from sinking inside it.
Apart from all of this, they can survive desert without food and water for a long period, and could walk even after loosing 25-30% of water of their body. Most animals would die after loosing above 15%. They only drink water to fill up their reserve, but they can drink more than 120 liters of water in one sitting.
Last but not the least, camels milk is more nutritional than cow and with less fat. Also their feces are so dry, they can be used as fuel to make fire at night in desert to keep yourself warm.
In UAE, there is a camel festival every year, most famous event among it is the beauty contest, which garners tens of thousands of beautiful camels from all over the world. The prize of this contest is 35 million.
Also, Arabic culture gives importance to camels heavily with over 160 different words in their vocabulary that means camel. Camel is a symbol for patience, tolerance and endurance. The only thing you could trust out there in the desert is a camel.
Image Source: Pexels
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