Imagine being told you've got to spend two days in a desert with no food, only one camel. Would you go and borrow some water from the camel's hump? If that's your plan, you're in for a thirstier time than you expected, because it simply won't work.
Most of us have heard the old story that a camel stores water in its hump and taps into it whenever water runs short in the desert. Some tales even describe desert wanderers cutting open the hump to drink from it, as if the desert carried its own canteen on its back. The truth, to cut a long story short, is that this is all a myth. It is a firm no to that so-called fact about water in the hump.
What's really inside the hump
The hump is actually full of fat. Yes, fat. The camel's body draws on that fat when it needs energy, especially when food is scarce around it. In a way, the hump is less a water tank and more a well-packed lunch.
Once the fat has been used up, the hump loosens and droops, sliding down to hang below the neck instead of sitting on top. If you've ever seen a lean, tired-looking camel with a sagging hump, this is why. When the camel feeds well again, the hump slowly restores itself to its normal position and stature.
How camels really survive without water
If the hump isn't for water, how do camels manage to go so long without a drink? The answer comes down to the adaptations they've evolved in dry, desert regions, and there are several working together at once.
- Their red blood cells are more oval and ellipsoid in shape, and they can expand further to hold water. These football-like cells, unlike human disc-shaped ones, keep moving ahead smoothly even as the blood thickens from dehydration, carrying what they have where it's needed.
- Their faeces and urine are thick and dry, saving precious moisture that other animals would simply lose. As a bonus, dried camel dung can even be burned as fuel to light a fire.
- Their whole body structure helps them tolerate harsh weather. Thick coats, a specialised foot structure and an efficient breathing mechanism all work together to regulate heat in hot and cold conditions alike, keeping the animal comfortable in extremes that would defeat most others.
Just how far can they push it?
Camels are said to tolerate a drop of thirty to forty percent in their body fluid weight before things become serious. Compare that with a human, who may face fatal risk after losing just ten to fifteen percent. And they can reportedly go nearly a week, sometimes up to ten days, without water.
You can see how beautifully evolution and nature have worked this out. Piece by piece, the camel is built to hold onto every drop, every meal and every degree of temperature it can. It's another myth busted, and there are plenty more curious topics waiting to be explored.
For now, keep thinking — you never know where your curiosity will take the journey. Before we go, here's one more odd thought: some studies suggest crocodiles don't age the way we do. Curious? Read all about it in our article on crocodiles.