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May 25, 2006 - Braden S., Victoria, TX
Dear "Mr.Doug,"
Why does the camel's hump feel like bone? Also, how are camels able to eat cactus with all those thorns? What is the rarest camel in the world? Do camels have three lips?
from Braden S., 3rd. Grade, O'Connor Elementary School
Hi Braden, thanks for your email!
The camel's hump is hard, maybe not as hard as bone, but hard because
it's full of hard, gristly fat. Most folks think there's water in the
hump, but it's not. The fat is reabsorbed by the blood in times of
need.
Camels are able to eat all of the thorny, prickly things that grow in
deserts all over the world due to a highly-evolved system of
"papillae" (a tough, rubbery lining) on the inside of the mouth. This
is just one of the many wonderful adaptations camels have to their
environment.
The rarest camel in the world may be the endangered "wild Bactrian
camel" located mainly in the Xinjiang province of China. Scientists
are still arguing over whether or not it is truly wild or feral (a
descendant of once-domesticated camels), but they number between 750
and 1000. For more info, google the Wild Camel Protection Foundation.
Camels don't have three lips, but their top one is split, somewhat
like that of a rabbit. The division allows the camel to use the top
lip almost like fingers to pick up small items like a single blade of
grass.
Thanks!
Doug Baum
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