How is a camel adapted to its environment?
Camels have many adaptations that allow them to live successfully in desert conditions. Deserts are hot and dry. Winds blow sand all around, so a camel has long eyelashes. It has nostrils that can open and close.Thick eyebrows shield the eyes from the desert sun 1. A camel can go a week or more without water, and they can last for several months without food. They can drink up to 32 gallons (46 litres) of water at one drinking session! 2. Camels store fat in the hump, not water. The fat can be metabolised for energy. 3. Unlike most mammals, a healthy camel’s body temperature fluctuates (changes) throughout the day from 34°C to 41.7°C (93°F-107°F.) This allows the camel to conserve water by not sweating as the environmental temperature rises. 4. Camels feet are wide so they can walk on sand more easily. Their huge feet help them to walk on sand without sinking into it. 5. Camels have thick lips so they can eat the prickly desert plants with out feeling pain. 6. The colour of their bodie
There are two kinds of camel which roam this Earth today a) Dromedary (single humped) b) Bactrian (double humped) The various adaptations which the camel has evolved to survive in the harsh desert conditions are 1) Presence of non-nucleated RBC. 2) Ability to change the homoeostasis according to the temperature of the environment. For example it can increase its body temp by a few degrees than the surrounding air, so that it remains cool. Similarly as the night temp goes down it decreases its body temp to remain warm against the cold air. 3) Large eye lashes which prevent the entry of fine dust particles during sand storms. 4) Large hump/humps to store fats in the form of glycogen which can be metabolised later during time of crisis. 5) Large padded sole, which enables it to move effortlessly on the loose sand. 6) Thick skin which protects it from the sands and desert insects. 7) Thick lips and tongue, that enables it to feed on thorny plants and shrubs.
