Why do camels have humps on their backs?
Camels have humps on their backs as places to store fat. It is this fat that they live off when food and water are scarce. A well-fed camel in good condition has a firm, upright hump. After a long, exhausting desert journey the same camel will have a hump that is floppy and bent over to one side. There are two types of camel. The camel with two humps on its back is the Bactrian camel. It comes from Asia and carries heavy loads across the cold high plains, the steppes. Its long, shaggy coat helps to keep it warm. The Arabian camel, or dromedary, has only one hump. It is adapted to hot, desert places, having broad feet to stop it from sinking in the sand. The Arabian camel also has long eyelashes to help keep sand out of its eyes and nostrils that close up to keep sand out of its nose.
