Explore the mystery of the camel's hump

can live well for weeks, in the desert, without drinking a single drop of water. The animal's excellent thirst-tolerance ability, is widely believed to be due to its possession of a water-storing tumor. However, is truth true?

Camels are one of the most known animals of the desert. Camels possess maximum adaptability to the harsh drought conditions of this environment, especially they can live well for weeks without drinking water. Therefore, this animal, since ancient times, has been used by the trade groups on the 'Silk Road' as the first means of transportation.

Camels can live well for weeks without drinking water.

In fact, according to scientists, inside the camel's hump is full of fat, not water as many people think. These tissues are the energy source of camel reserves, in the context of scarce food of the desert environment. The mode of operation of the hump can be understood as follows: when a camel finds no food source for many days, the fat tissue in the tumor will begin to be converted into nutrients, serving for living activities. of them. Using this stored fat will also make the camel's bump shrink and collapse. However, this organ will soon be filled again when the animal finds food.

Inside the camel's hump is full of fat, not water.

Besides the energy storage function, the camel's hump also helps them regulate their body temperature , which is essential in desert conditions. Specifically, fat tissue helps absorb heat from other organs, so that the temperature of the whole body does not rise too high, under the intense sunshine of the day. On the contrary, when the night comes, it is also when the ambient temperature drops deeply, the heat accumulated on this body will radiate again, heating the camel's body.

Perhaps you're still wondering, ' If the hump doesn't contain water, where does the camel's thirst come from?'. The answer lies in the special blood cell structure of this animal . Accordingly, instead of having a disc image, the red blood cells of camels are in oval shape . This shape increases the ability of red blood cells to contract. Therefore, they can absorb more water than normal cells. Therefore, when a water source is found, a camel can drink more than 113 liters of water at a time. This huge amount of water will store in red blood cells and be used gradually in the days of thirst later.

Where do camels store water?