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Blog 16 Interesting Camel Facts for Kids
10 min
You’ll learn all you need to know about the desert’s most famous humped animal with these 16 Interesting Camel Facts for Kids.
Table of Contents
- Camels don’t actually store water in their humps.
- Camels store water in their blood.
- Camels are born without humps.
- Camel milk is incredibly nutritious.
- There are 2 types of camel.
- Camels can live to 50 years.
- Camels are fast.
- There are 160 words for camel in Arabic.
- The most expensive camel was sold for $53 million.
- There is a camel festival in the United Arab Emirates.
- Camels and llamas are cousins.
- Camels are very social animals
- Camels spit as a defence mechanism
- A camel’s body is built for the desert.
- Camels can even eat cacti!
- Camel meat is considered a delicacy.
16 interesting Camel Facts
Camels don’t actually store water in their humps.
Despite what we’re led to believe, camels don’t store gallons of water in their humps like a portable well. Their humps are actually used to store fat, which they can live off for weeks, sometimes months! When food is scarce, camels will break down the fats in their humps to use as a source of nutrition. In fact, if a camel hasn’t eaten in a while, then its hump will start to droop as the fat stores empty.
This method of fat storage also helps regulate body temperature. In the hot desert, storing fat on their humps reduces their heat insulation, thereby helping to keep them cool during hot days.
Camels store water in their blood.
The red blood cells found in camels are actually oval-shaped, not round like most other animals. This means that they are also much smaller, which allows for continued circulation even when the camel is dehydrated.
The blood cells of a camel also have the ability to expand up to 240% of their regular size with water when the camel rehydrates, which is why camels can drink up to 30 gallons in ten minutes. This adaptation for the camel is unique, because if any other animal did this, their blood cells would burst!
Camels are born without humps.
If you were to read up on the history of camels and their life cycle, after being pregnant for 12-14 months, a female camel will give birth to one or rarely two newborns.
Camels do not have humps at birth, but with a tassel of curly hair on top, small peaks can be seen that indicate where the humps will develop. A baby camel can typically fully walk within half an hour of birth. Not only that, but some baby camels are born completely white and only achieve their recognizable brown color when their adult coat comes in.
Camel milk is incredibly nutritious.
Nomadic cultures in harsh environments like deserts have relied on camel milk for centuries as a source of nutrition. The milk contains many nutrients that are important for overall health.
The milk has a lot more iron and vitamin C than cows’ milk and is sometimes used in Kazakhstan to help treat illnesses such as tuberculosis. In fact, if you visit Abu Dhabi, you’d be able to pick up a milkshake with real camel milk.
There are 2 types of camel.
There are two species of camels, the Camelus bactrianus and the Camelus dromedarius. The difference between the two species can be seen in their humps, dromedary camels have one, while Bactrian camels have two.
Dromedaries, also known as the Arabian camel, can be found in northern Africa, the Middle East, part of Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, while Bactrian camels can only be found in inner, central and eastern Asia. Dromedaries make up about 90% of the world’s population of camels, with all of them being domesticated.
Meanwhile, Bactrian camels can be found both domesticated and wild. At shoulder height, the Bactrian camel stands 5.2 to 5.9 feet tall, has a length of 10 to 11.5 feet, and weighs 990 to 1,100 pounds. As for the dromedary camel, its length ranges from 7.2 to 11.2 feet, its height is from 5.9 to 6.6 feet, and it weighs 880 to 1,320 pounds.
Camels can live to 50 years.
The reason they live so long is due to a number of factors; firstly, they don’t have any natural predators. The second reason is that they are capable of storing water and fat in their bodies for a very long time, which means they can go without food or water for days and still be totally fine. This is something that most animals can’t do.
Camels are fast.
Even though they might not seem it, camels can be pretty fast runners. They can run as fast as 40 miles per hour! Despite this, it’s extremely tiring for a camel to run that fast, and they typically slow down rather quickly.
The average camel will walk 2 to 3 miles per hour, trot at 9 to 10 miles per hour, and jog at 16 miles per hour. In Arab countries, you can even find camel races to commemorate special occasions.
There are 160 words for camel in Arabic.
You might wonder how this could be possible, after all there’s only 2 species of camel! Well, as well as having words for the standard camel, Arabic also has more specific terms relating to appearance or function. Not only that, but there are also words describing camels in minute detail, for example;
الربع - A camel that drinks once every 3 days
الدفون - A female camel in the middle of a herd of camels
الشرود - A camel that loves to escape and is difficult to catch
The word “camel” actually comes from an Arabic word. When literally translated, it means “beauty”.
The most expensive camel was sold for $53 million.
A Dromedary camel named Arnoun was reportedly sold at an auction in Kuwait in 2019 for 200 million Saudi Riyals, which is about 53 million dollars.
Arnoun took first place in the category of stallions at the 3rd King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
There is a camel festival in the United Arab Emirates.
Every year, the UAE hosts the Al-Dhafra Camel Festival. The most popular event in the festival is the beauty competition, in which thousands of camels compete for the crown.
Camels and llamas are cousins.
The camel is part of the Camelidae family. Also belonging to this family are alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas. Despite being in the same family, they live incredibly far apart.
Camels are most commonly found in the desert of Asia and North Africa, while llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicuñas are indigenous to the Andes mountains and grasslands of South America. Fossil records show that the Camelidae family actually started in North America, although there are no living species of the Camelidae family there today.
Camels are very social animals
You won’t often see camels traveling solo in the wild. They are social animals that live in groups called herds.
The herd will usually consist of a dominant adult male, females, and their young. Males that may have been chased out of the group have been known to form eligible herds. Camels will actually talk to each other too.
Not in the same way that you and I do, they communicate through many sounds like loud bellows and moans. They’ll also blow on each other’s faces as a friendly greeting. In camel society, different positions for the head, neck, ears, and tail have different meanings.
Camels spit as a defense mechanism
If you’ve ever seen a camel in real life, you might have been unlucky enough to have been spat on by one! Camels are docile animals and rarely turn towards violence, but if they feel threatened, they can regurgitate bile, saliva, and water from their stomach to spray their attacker.
So really, it’s more like vomit than spit! They use this as a defense mechanism to distract whatever they think is a threat. The longest recorded distance a camel has spat is an incredible 121 feet!
A camel’s body is built for the desert.
We all know that camels store lots of water and fat in their bodies, since it's a scarce resource in the desert. But did you know that there are many ways in which camels are designed for hot, sandy climates? Camels have large, flat feet to help them walk on sand.
The soles of their feet have a large surface area to stop them from sinking into the sand. They have slit-like sealable nostrils, to prevent the sand from getting up their nose, as well as two rows of eyelashes. Not only that, but they have the ability to tolerate body temperatures of up to 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
Camels can even eat cacti!
In the desert, camels can survive on thorny vegetation and dried grass, including cacti. They can also eat twigs, desert bushes, date stones, and so on. It mostly eats plants that are rich in salt. The mouth of a camel has a thick, leathery lining that allows them to eat rough and thorny plants easily.
Camel meat is considered a delicacy.
In Middle Eastern countries, many people eat camel meat and consider it a delicacy. The hump is said to be the best part of the camel, and it’s traditionally served at Arab weddings. The taste of camel is described as similar to beef.
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed these 18 incredible camel facts for kids and are ready to spread the good word on the awesomeness of camels! If you’re looking for some on-topic resources to support your teachings, why not check out some of these activities?
Our Desert Habitat Early Emergent Reader eBook is a great literacy resource to use during a desert unit. The emergent reader features colorful illustrations, key vocabulary, and sight words. Use for guided reading or individual practice.
This “It’s the Camel” poem activity pack includes everything your students need to study this lovely poem for a recital or poetry analysis.
Check out this Desert Habitat Can You Find? Picture Activity! It’s designed to help you teach all about the plants and animals of the desert. It's got a bright and eye-catching illustrated poster, complete with the main desert plants and wildlife you can find there. Accompanying this is an animals and desert plants list with prompts to help students spot everything on the poster.
All of our resources mentioned above are teacher-made, so you know they're easy to use and high quality! Subscribe to Twinkl now for unlimited access to thousands of excellent school resources. You won't regret it!
