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Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research Volume 20 Article 5 2019 Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump Michael Chase St. John Fisher College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur Part of the Anatomy Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Chase, Michael. "Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump." The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 20 (2019): -. Web. [date of access]. <https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol20/iss1/5>. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol20/iss1/5 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump Abstract The one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) is capable of living in extreme, arid environments due to its numerous anatomical adaptations. Its modified eaturf es of the muscular system, integument, skeletal system, and several internal organs allow this animal to survive in such harsh environmental conditions. Many of these adaptations allow for conservation of energy and water as well as improvement of locomotion to acquire scarce resources. In this paper we will look more closely at some of these adaptations and determine their function in promoting the survival and reproduction of the one-humped camel in desert environments. Keywords camel, anatomy, hump, camelus, dromedarius, desert, anatomy This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/ vol20/iss1/5 Chase: Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump The Review, Volume 20 (2019) Camel Anatomy: More Than Just a Hump Michael Chase ABSTRACT The one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) is capable of living in extreme, arid environments due to its numerous anatomical adaptations. Its modified features of the muscular system, integument, skeletal system, and several internal organs allow this animal to survive in such harsh environmental conditions. Many of these adaptations allow for conservation of energy and water as well as improvement of locomotion to acquire scarce resources. Learning more about these adaptations allows us to better understand their function in promoting the survival and reproduction of the one-humped camel in extreme desert environments. It would be foolish to drive a Lamborghini slit-like closable nostril which prevents across the Atlantic Ocean, right? Would it blowing sand from entering the nasal canal make sense to fly a helicopter through a (Gebreyohanes and Assen). Their nostrils subway station? Of course not. These also have the ability to trap water vapor vehicles are not designed to function in upon exhalation. This water vapor is then those particular environments. This concept reabsorbed into the body as a means of parallels the subject of comparative conserving water. Their mouths are anatomy. Organisms have evolved over time composed of a split, hairy upper lip and a in order to function properly in certain tough, leathery dental pad to allow for environments. Their specific adaptations are feeding on thorny desert plants. The tongue unique to each individual species and have is very mobile and composed of many hard been naturally selected as favorable traits for papillae which allows for manipulation and the organism’s niche. This idea explains the ingestion of thorny plants in cooperation extreme variation amongst living creatures, with the slow, lateral movements of the jaw. and exploring the driving forces for the The esophagus is extremely flexible and is presence, shape, size, and location of lined with a high concentration of mucosa anatomical features allows us to further cells, allowing for the movement of hard, understand the concept of evolution and dry materials (Faran et al). The ears are natural selection. The “vehicle” discussed in covered by thick, long hairs to protect from this essay is the one-humped camel blowing sand and also have a high acoustic (Camelus dromedarius) and how its specific ability to allow the camel to hear sounds anatomical features allow it to flourish in from far distances (possible food, water, such harsh, arid environmental conditions. other camels) (Soliman). The dromedary camel is a large, even-toed Moving away from the head, the camel’s ungulate with one hump on its back. Many neck is long and arched, allowing it to reach of its anatomical adaptations are aimed at high plants and see further distances over conquering the problems faced by most the desert sand (again, possible prey, water, desert species including lack of food and other camels) (Faran et al). It has a thick water, sandy or stony ground surface, thorny coat which provides insulation from the plants and trees, and a hot, windy climate intense heat. The fur becomes lighter in (Faran et al). Starting at the cranial end, the color during the hotter summer months in camel has long eyelashes and a third, clear order to reflect more light and avoid eyelid to help protect its eyes from the sunburn. Sweat droplets evaporate directly intense sun and blowing sand. They have a from the skin rather than from the hair tips Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2019 1 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 20 [2019], Art. 5 The Review, Volume 20 (2019) (like other mammals) in order to conserve importance are the urinary and digestive energy and further cool the skin systems. Camels have very long loops of (Gebreyohanes and Assen). Camels also Henle, four to six times longer than those of have leather-like, thick fur pads on the knees cattle (Soliman), which contribute both to and elbows to protect their skin when laying concentrating urine and reducing its flow. down on the hot desert sand. The camel also These long loops allow for maximum water possesses a pedestal structure on its sternum. reabsorption, thus conserving water. This pedestal is a thick pad of tissue covered Similarly, the large intestines of camels are by a thick layer of fur which raises the body extremely long, allowing for maximum off the ground when the camel is laying water absorption from ingested food. These down. This pedestal functions to lift the two structures contribute to the camel’s body off the hot sand, thus preventing production of extremely small amounts of burning of the skin and overheating of the concentrated urine and hard, dry fecal balls organs and also allowing for cooling air to (Soliman). pass underneath the body (Faran et al). Arguably the most popular feature of In addition to modified organs, camels also camels, the hump, is actually composed of have adaptations to their blood cells. Typical adipose tissue, not water. This large region mammalian red blood cells are circular of fat storage has the ability to become while camels’ are ovular in shape, metabolized in order to produce energy and resembling human sickle cells. This water under circumstances of extreme adaptation allows blood to continually flow starvation or thirst (Soliman). even if the organism is extremely dehydrated, a very common occurrence in Now moving more distal on the camel, its the desert (Soliman). Camel red blood cells four legs are long and thin in order to also are unique due to their ability to extend maximize the height of the body above the their life span when dehydrated. When hot sand and ground. These long limbs also hydrated, camel erythrocytes typically have allow winds to flow under the body, further a life span of 90 to 120 days. However, cooling it. Long legs also enable the camel when dehydrated, this number increases to to reach high trees and bushes for food around 150 days. This is a favorable sources, and enable better vision for further adaptation because producing new distances (again, possible food, water, other erythrocytes requires the use of both energy camels). Camel feet contain large foot pads and water, resources which are extremely with two toenails in front that allow them to scarce in an arid environment effectively maneuver across the desert sand. (Gebreyohanes and Assen). Therefore, This broad leathery pad disperses the weight increasing red blood cell life span conserves of the animal over a wider surface, water and energy, a common theme among preventing their feet from sinking into the most camel adaptations previously loose, hot sand (Gebreyohanes and Assen). discussed. These limb adaptations are very important for camel locomotion as well as regulation Male camels also exhibit interesting of temperature. anatomical adaptations in their testicular morphology, which varies during different Looking inside the body cavity, we can seasons of the year. Camels are seasonal observe several adaptations in camel organs breeders who show sexual activity during a that contribute to the animal’s ability to specific period of the year called “rutting occupy a desert niche. Of significant season.” This breeding period is associated https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol20/iss1/5 2 Chase: Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump The Review, Volume 20 (2019) with significant modifications to the Another explanation could involve a change morphology of genital organs. In males in morphology of the female camel during the rutting season, spermatogenesis is reproductive system, which would require at its highest, thus causing a significant the male to adapt accordingly. While camels increase in the size and weight of the testes. do have a scrotum to house their testes, this Leydig cells, typically inactive during non- significant influx of reproductive activity breeding seasons, become active, larger, and may be caused by the environmental more abundant, contributing to more temperature reaching ideal conditions for testosterone production. Increased activity in testosterone production and sperm cell the Sertoli cells, involved in the maturation maturation, a factor determined by the of sperm cells, is also observed during the climate during rutting season.
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