MonoMonday ~ Five

Fun facts about camels:

1 ~ The name comes from the Arabic gml meaning 'beauty'
2 ~ A camel's hump does not store water. It stores fat, lessening heat trapping insulation around the rest of the body
3 ~ One reason camels can go long periods without water is the shape of their red blood cells. These are oval and so will flow when they are dehydrated rather than clumping, as ours do. The camel is the only mammal to have oval red blood cells
4 ~ Camels can drink up to 40 gallons of water in one go
5 ~ Their temperature ranges from 34 degrees Celsius at night to 41 degrees during the day. They don't begin to sweat until they are over 41 degrees
6 ~ Camels lips are split to help them graze
7 ~ They can eat anything, including thorny twigs, without injuring their mouths
8 ~ Camels can kick in all four directions with each of their legs
9 ~ Camels can close their nostrils against wind and sand when necessary
10 ~ The shape of their nostrils allows them to retain water vapour and return it to the body as fluid
11 ~ They can lose 25% of their body fluids without getting dehydrated. Most mammals can only lose 15%
12 ~ Camels are ruminants like cows and goats
13 ~ Eating green plants gives them the moisture they need without drinking
14 ~ Their coats reflect sunlight and insulate them for the desert heat
15 ~ One of the camel's defences is 'spitting' - where they essentially throw up a foul smelling greenish fluid from their stomach all over you if provoked. For those who have experienced it, it seems never ending and is never forgotten
16 ~ Camel feces are so dry they are used for fuel, and their urine is as thick as syrup
17 ~ Camel's have three eyelids

Thank you Skeena for hosting!