Despite their unusual looks, or perhaps because of them, a camel stuffed animal is one popular soft toy. With their signature humps (depending on the species, it can be one or two), both children and adults are fascinated with these odd looking animals, making a camel stuffed animal the soft toy of choice when it comes to exotic plush.
Contrary to popular belief, camels cannot go days and days without water. The idea that water is stored in a camels hump, comes entirely from myth. A camels hump or humps (the Bactrian species has two) are a fatty deposit that gives the animal energy when they have a lack of food. When their energy is low due to little or no food, the hump will shrink and get soft and consequently flop over to one side. After a few days of eating, the hump returns to its normal position firm and upright. Water, is actually stored in a camel's bloodstream. They are capable of losing forty percent of their body weight before they become distressed and can go from five to seven days without drinking. In about 10 minutes, a camel will consume 22 gallons of water an amount that most animals would not be able to handle. If they have food that will provide them with moisture of some kind, their water intake will not have to be so substantial.
The teeth, mouth, and stomach of a camel is such, that they are able to eat plants that other desert animals cannot digest. When eating plants and/or branches with thorns, for example, a camels tough rubbery mouth will not sustain any damage. In addition, they have 34 sharp teeth which enables them to bite just about any kind of tough food. Like cows, camels have three stomachs and do not chew their food; it is swallowed first, partially digested, and then chewed again later as cud.
During prehistoric times, it is believed that camels crossed over the Bering Strait to eventually evolve in North America. They eventually became domesticated and of the 500-700 camels living in the Gobi desert, only a small population is still wild. Today, domesticated camels only make their homes in Asia and Africa. At one time, some were introduced to Australia and as a result, there are still a few feral camels living in the wilds there. In the 1800s, an experiment was conducted in which camels were introduced to the North American desert, but it turned out to be unsuccessful.
A camel stuffed animal- whether it has one hump or two - will never need food or water. It will however, require the love of someone who is willing to put in the time to care for it not unlike they would with the real thing. Like a camel stuffed animal, camels are quite pleasant and friendly.
Angeline Hope is a collector of big stuffed animals. You can view a selection of big stuffed animals including camel stuffed animals at MyBigPlush.
