Why do camels have humps?

Answer 1

The reason for the existence of a camel's hump is purely down to genetics. A camel is genetically predisposed to have one (Dromedary camel) or two humps (Bactrian camel), depending on the species. Camels are born without humps, but gain them as they grow older.

The hump is a structural adaptation for the camel in times where feed is absent. Fat (not water) constitutes the hump of the camel, and this fat is accumulated when the camel eats more than their immediate bodily needs. A camel will eat 4 percent of its body weight in dry matter intake. A well-fed camel will have a full, well-rounded hump full of adipose tissue. This hump may disappear or becoming nothing more than floppy, excessive skin when the animal is travelling and without feed for some time. A camel uses fat primarily as an energy storage source.
Long term food storage, they build up fat and then use it for energy on long journeys.
to store fat, not water, like most people think.

Edit: it's true that it's to store fat, but water is produced when fat is burned, so by default it's also a form of water storage.
To store fat to live off when food and water is scarce!

Answer 2

Camels are even-toed ungulates in the genus Camelus. They have distinctive fatty deposits on their backs, called humps. There are two species of camel: the dromedary, or one-humped camel (C. dromedarius); and the bactrian, or two-humped camel (C. bactrianus).

The dromedary inhabits the Middle East and the Horn of Africa; the bactrian inhabits Central Asia. Both species have been domesticated.

Camels' humps contain fatty tissue and do not store water directly. Storing fat in the humps helps keep the fat from insulating the camel, which is useful in their hot environment. Metabolizing a gram of fat yields more than one gram of water, but that moisture is lost in respiration.

Answer 3

camels have humps because they store their water because there is not a lot of water where they live. (In the desert.)