What do camels store in their humps? And other camel superpowers

Known for their distinctive humps, camels are synonymous with desert environments. In their domesticated state, they provide vital resources such as milk, meat, wool, and transportation to pastoral communities in Africa and Asia, particularly in regions like northern Kenya. However, their importance in ecological and climate resilience is not as widely known. Camels, both in the wild and in their domesticated state, are essential to sustaining more arid ecosystems such as deserts, prairies, and steppes, along with the communities who live there.

Superpower: livelihood adapters

Pastoral life is often threatened by the unpredictable weather patterns brought on by climate change. Communities dependent upon a specific livestock animal for their food and livelihood can struggle to find a climate-resilient alternative when the impacts of climate change make it difficult to maintain their animals. In more arid desert environments around the world, this has prompted a shift away from cattle to their cousin—the camel. Camels can survive a week without water and by eating nothing more than harsh scrub vegetation while still producing a rich milk. The ability to successfully herd camels instead of cows in their traditional grazing lands can reduce the need for communities to relocate.

Superpower: water conservers

Camels do a great job conserving water, allowing them to thrive in some of the harshest and hottest environments globally. A common misconception is that camels store water in their humps, but this is far from true. Their humps store fat, which provides them with energy for long distances. Additionally, the fat helps keep camels from getting thirsty often. Camels also don’t sweat as much as humans and their metabolism lowers at night. And they can drink up to 40 gallons of water at one time! Camels’ ability to survive in more arid climates makes them well-suited to a world where climate change-induced drought is becoming more and more of an issue.

Superpower: biodiversity supporters

Camels play a crucial role in shaping and sustaining their habitats. By foraging on a diverse array of flora, camels aid in vegetation growth and prevent overdominance of certain plants, which can promote biodiversity. Moreover, their grazing patterns lead to seed dispersal through their droppings, partly assisting with the regeneration of plants. The padded feet of camels prevent soil compaction, preserve desert soils, minimize erosion, and support overall land health. Because they require less water and can eat vegetation typically indigestible to other livestock, camels reduce competition for limited resources, allowing other species that might need those resources more to use them.

Superpower: food security boosters

In their domesticated state, camels offer a lot to support the livelihoods of communities—they provide transport for people who live in arid climates, where other types of animals may be ill-suited or require a lot more resources to maintain. But it also goes deeper than that. Camels also provide a rich, nutrient-dense milk that is well tolerated by humans and can supplement nutrition and income even when cows or sheep cannot. As the climate changes and resources in desert communities become scarcer, the option of camel’s milk can be the difference between surviving on traditional grazing lands versus having to relocate and potentially compete for resources with other communities.

Superpower: climate action ambassadors

The contributions that camels make to sustaining the arid ecosystems in which they live, and to sustaining the human communities in these ecosystems, are impressive. It is also vital given the stressors that climate change is putting on these areas and the people who live there. Competition for resources in the wild disrupts biodiversity and, in the context of human communities, can cause conflict. While camels are not a cure-all, they are an important resource and part of the solution. Because of the camel’s importance to resilience in arid regions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations designated 2024 as the International Year of Camelids, highlighting their role in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem protection amidst climate change.

Learn more about other wildlife climate heroes.