Camels

The Arabian camel is a desert animal. If necessary, it can go without food for days at a time. He hump of the camel’s back is fat. The fat serves as stored food. The camel can also go without water for long periods of time. But scientist are just beginning to understand how it does this.
The Camel is also suited in other ways to desert life. Its broad, padded feet stay on top of sand as the camel walks. When sand blows, the camel can shut its nostrils into slits. And it has thick pads on its knees. It kneels confortably on these.

The Arabian camel is sometomes called the ship of desert. Used as a beast of burden, it can carry 270 kilograms (600 pounds). Somewhat smaller camels are raised for riding. One-humped camels are sometimes call dromedaries.
Arabian camels are mostly raised in the desert of North Africa and Arabia. They all have one hump. They eat the leaves of desert plants. That belong to the big group of animals called hoofed mammals.

Another kond of camel lives on the dry, cold plains of central Asia. This is the Bactrian camel. It has two hump on its back. It also has long hair. The Bactrian camel can carry a pack over deep snow in weather that is below –180 C(00F). It can stay alive on scrub plants that few other animals would eat. People of the Asian plains raise the camel for milk, meat, hides, and hair for making cloth.

The camel’s closest relatives are four animals of South America: the guanaco, vucuna, llama, and alpaca.