World Camel Day – 22nd June
World Camel Day – 22nd June
Today is World Camel Day. Every year on June 22nd, it is to celebrate the camel. It is a day the world pays tribute to these remarkable animals.
There are three surviving species of camel (Genus Camelus). The world’s camel population,94% is the one-humped dromedary and the two-humped Bactrian camel makes up 6%. The wild Bactrian camel is now critically endangered.
A camel is a mammal, an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as “humps” on its back. Camels are domestic working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. They are exploited for milk, meat, wool, hides and fiber and felt from hairto make textile.
Camels have a series of physiological adaptations to withstand long periods of time without any external source of water. Their humps are reservoirs of fatty tissue. Camels’ red blood cells are oval rather than circular in shape facilitating the flow of red blood cells during dehydration to withstand high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water. A 600 kg camel can drink 200 L of water in three minutes. Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water consumption. Their temperature ranges from 34 °C at dawn and steadily increases to 40 °C by sunset, before they cool off at night again. Camels rarely sweat, even when ambient temperatures reach 49 °C. Any sweat evaporates at the skin level and the heat of vaporization therefore comes from body heat. When the camel exhales, water vapor becomes trapped in their nostrils and is reabsorbed into the body to conserve water.
The camel’s thick coat insulates it from the intense heat radiated from desert sand. During the summer the coat becomes lighter in color, reflecting light as well as helping avoid sunburn. The camel’s long legs help by keeping its body farther from the ground.Their mouths have a thick leathery lining, allowing them to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with nostrils that can close, form a barrier against sand. The camels’ gait and widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand. The kidneys and intestines of a camel are very efficient at reabsorbing water. Camel urine comes out as a thick syrup, and camel faeces are so dry.
Camels, are herbivores, eating grass, grains, wheat and oats.
Many factors threaten its survival, including habitat loss and degradation, desertification due to climate change, and hybridisation with the domestic Bactrian camel.
– Source: Internet –