Steemit Photo Challenge 42 Animal Portrait - Entry II Camels are not just desert creatures
Hello my Steemit family!
I was quite surprised to observe a Camel in the blistering cold - minus 15 °C- in Cappadocia, in Turkey. And it is so cute, so wanted to share. I took the photo with my Nikon D5000.
This is a Bactrian camel as it has two humps and inhabits Central Asia (the dromedary camel - one-humped camels is found in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa).
Camels are quite amazing creatures. Some interesting facts include:
- A Bactrian camel can carry up to 600 pounds over rough terrain and travel about 40 miles per day.
- In the winter camels are able to store enough moisture from the plants they eat to go as much as an incredible 50 days without water - close to 2 months!!. They can also eat small amounts of snow.
- A misconception is that a camel's hump does not store water, it stores fat. When needed, the fat is converted to food or water.
- The word ‘camel’ comes from an Arabic word: ǧml. This word is literally translated to mean beauty.
- In Middle Eastern countries, many eat camel and consider it a delicacy - the hump is apparently the best part. I had it myself and it is something that you need to get used.
- Camels aren't as slow as they look, they can run up to an amazing 40 mph.
- The only time a camel is without a hump is when it is first born. Once the baby camel is old enough to eat solids, the hump (or humps) will start growing.
Hope you enjoy.
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