How a camel is adapted to its environment?

Answer 1

Their ability to withstand long periods without water is due to a series of physiological adaptations. Their red blood cells have an oval shape, unlike those of other mammals, which are circular. This is to facilitate their flow in a dehydrated state. These cells are also more stable in order to withstand high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water (100 litres (22 imp gal; 26 US gal) to 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal) in one drink). Oval red corpuscles are not found in any other mammal, but are present in reptiles, birds, and fish.

Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water content that would kill most other animals. Their temperature ranges from 34 °C (93 °F) at night up to 41 °C (106 °F) during the day, and only above this threshold will they begin to sweat. The upper body temperature range is often not reached during the day in milder climatic conditions, and therefore, the camel may not sweat at all during the day. Evaporation of their sweat takes place at the skin level, not at the surface of their coat, thereby being very efficient at cooling the body compared to the amount of water lost through sweating. This ability to fluctuate body temperature and the efficiency of their sweating allows them to preserve about five litres of water a day. A feature of their nostrils is that a large amount of water vapor in their exhalations is trapped and returned to their body fluids, thereby reducing the amount of water lost through respiration.

They can withstand at least 20-25% weight loss due to sweating (most mammals can only withstand about 15% dehydration before cardiac failure results from circulatory disturbance). A camel's blood remains hydrated, even though the body fluids are lost, until this 25% limit is reached.

Camels eating green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their bodies' hydrated state without the need for drinking.

A camel's thick coat reflects sunlight, and also insulates it from the intense heat radiated from desert sand. A shorn camel has to sweat 50% more to avoid overheating. Their long legs help by keeping them further from the hot ground. Camels have been known to swim.

Their mouth is very sturdy, able to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with sealable nostrils, form a barrier against sand. Their gait and their widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand.

The kidneys and intestines of a camel are very efficient at retaining water. Urine comes out as a thick syrup, and their feces are so dry that they can fuel fires.

Answer 2

Camels have 2 sets of Long eyelashes to keep out sand

Camels can open and close their nostrils to keep out sand

Their Hump(s) are made of fat, which they metabolize so they can go with food or water for days

Their Legs are long and strong and their feet have split hooves with broad pads which balance out over the sand so they don't sink and gives them more stability.

They have thick leathery knees so they don't get burnt by the hot sand which they kneel on.

Camels have thick fur and underwool which acts as insulation against both the hot days and cold nights.

Camels have thick leathery lips so they can eat prickly desert plants.

When they do access water, they can drink up to 46 litres of water in one session.

A camel's internal temperature can change with the conditions around it - this is an advantage because it helps the camel conserve water by not sweating as the outside temperature increases.

Camels absorb water in their blood, and their erythrocytes (a type of blood cell) swell to almost 240% of their normal size without bursting. A camel's kidneys can concentrate urine to reduce water loss; in turn their urine will become very syrupy and thick and be extremely salty.

The color of their bodies helps them to blend into their environment, although there are few predators in most of their habitats.

Answer 3

The bactrian camel has two humps which store the water the camel drinks from the oasis with the dromedary camel but it only has one hump to store water another special feature is the pads on the bottom of it's feet which both camels have the same.

So in other words the bactrian and dromedary camels both have two special features:

two or one hump\s

pads on the bottom of their feet

Answer 4

it eat a cactus then it turned into a cactus camel with green hair and pierced ears

Answer 5

one of the ways that theye are adapted are there long eyelashes to protect there eyes from the sand

Answer 6

The hump contains water.