ARABIAN CAMEL* 

         Some camels have two humps, some onehump. Arabian camels have one hump. Their hump is very useful for them. It stores 36 kilos of fat. When a camel is hungry and thirsty, that fat turns into water and food for him. So, camels travel long distances ( 161 km) without water. Moreover, camels do not sweat much. So, they keep the water for a long time. We need a lot of water in the summer because we sweat a lot; but camels don’t sweat much even in the desert and therefore they don’t need a lot of water. They can live in desert for several weeks without water.

           When camels find water, however, they drink a lot of it. They drink 135 liters of water in 13 minutes.

           Camels have special abilities. For example, their nostrils close when there is storm in the desert, so that they keep the sand out. They also have bushy eyebrows and long eyelashes. These protect their eyes from sand. Their big and strong lips are good for them because with these lips they eat dry and thorny desert vegetables. They walk easily along desert and rocky terrain because their feet are big and thick.

           Arabian camels are domestic animals. People use them for their needs. Camels carry loads for 40 km a day.

*(A simplified version of the original text at National Geographic)