Someone once described camels as horses created by committee. They had a point, for they can carry double the load of an ox at twice the speed and cover much greater distances. They are faster than donkeys and can travel for long distances without water across searing hot terrain. Few animals had a more profound effect on history. Ultimate Desert Pack Animals Camels have a series of physiological adaptations that allow them to survive for long periods without water. Their humps are reservoirs of fatty tissue that minimize the insulating effect of fat that would otherwise be distributed all over their bodies. Their red blood cells are oval rather than circular, allowing better cell flow during dehydration. The same cells also allow the beasts to ingest large quantities of water in remarkably short periods of time. A six-hundred-kilogram (thirteen-hundred-pound) camel can drink two hundred liters (fifty-three gallons) of water in three minutes. Thanks to a complex of arteries and veins lying close to one another, camels are also able to withstand the major swings in desert temperatures.
