Camels are animals that create curiosity although they are known throughout the world, especially for being the transport of the Magi, being in stories and folktales and for being part of the idea we have when thinking about some African and Asian countries. Although we have a clear image of these animals, there are many doubts that some people still have about them, such as what is the difference with dromedaries, since it can be difficult to differentiate them if you do not have a clear idea. Did you know that the easiest key is in the number of humps?
In fact, this is one of the parts that generates more doubts and therefore, in this article, we will answer the question about what camels have in the hump, as well as questions about other details of these.
How many humps do camels have
This is undoubtedly one of the most frequently asked questions, since it is easy to confuse these animals with dromedaries and, as we have said, this is a key to differentiate them. Thus, the answer is very simple: camels have two humps and dromedaries have one.
Now, why does the camel have two humps and the dromedary one? Simply, we can say that evolution generated this difference so that each animal adapted better to the conditions of the climate in which it lives. Something that we will explain better below, in the next section.
Although this is undoubtedly the easiest way to know which of these two related species we have in front of us, there are other differences between a camel and a dromedary:
- The origin and habitat: although both species are desert, they come from deserts with different environmental conditions. Camels are from Central Asia while dromedaries are from the Arabian Peninsula. In the case of the former, nature has prepared them to withstand really low temperatures such as those that may be in the Gobi Desert, while the latter, has prepared them to withstand very high temperatures, such as those of the Sahara Desert.
- The size: dromedaries are taller than camels, the former can reach up to two meters in height and the latter do not usually exceed one and a half meters. In terms of weight, camels are usually heavier than dromedaries.
- The coat: the camel has long fur, to better regulate the temperature in areas of very cold, and the dromedary has short hair, to be able to survive better in the hot areas in which it lives.
- The character: camels are much calmer than dromedaries.
What camels have in humps
Surely you have heard that camels store water in their humps, however, this is one of the most heard camel legends around the world. Actually, for those who wonder what camels have or what they store in humps, these animals accumulate reserve fat.
So, if you were wondering what camels’ humps are, now you can see that they are sacs located on the back that have the function of accumulating and storing fat, coming from the feeding of camels. When a camel feeds, its body uses part of the nutrients throughout the day and converts the rest into accumulated fats in these bags.
For this reason, a camel with a fallen hump or with both in this state, as in the image below, is not sick or anything strange happens to him, but has simply spent the fat reserves accumulated in that part of the body causing it to decrease in size. As soon as the animal ingests food and rests, the hump is filled again and straight. In case of verifying that this does not happen even feeding, we can think that it can be a symptom of disease, something that will have to be confirmed by a veterinarian.
`Why camels have humps and what they are for`
Now that we know what is in the humps of these animals, we can answer well another common question about them: why they have humps and what they are for.
Due to the climatic and environmental conditions to which they are exposed, that is, both by the extreme temperatures and the long distances they must travel in the desert, with hardly any water and food at their fingertips, it is understandable and logical that these animals have evolved creating these fat deposits.
The fat reserve of the humps serves so that the camels have enough energy to withstand the extreme conditions of their habitat. Thus, when they have not drunk or eaten for several kilometers, but must continue walking and endure the desert temperatures, then their body extracts the necessary energy from the fat accumulated in the humps.
If you liked to know the answer to these questions about camels, you may also be interested in knowing facts about another curious and lesser-known animal: the platypus. Discover in this other article of a What the platypus eats and where it lives.