Hey, makes sense right? Camel have a big humps, camels can go for ages without water, it must be some kind of water tank. Nope, contrary to popular belief, camels' humps are actually made of fat, not water. In the same way that you body will begin to burn your fat stores when energy levels are low, the camel's hump is like a great big battery that it can use for sustenance when food is scarce. Seeing as most plants need water to survive, food is just as scarce as water in the desert, so camels need an emergency supply. Because of the extreme heat of the camel's natural habitat, it can't store fat all over its body like we do, or it would overheat. The hump is a way of concentrating it in one place and allowing the rest of the animal to stay cool. It is true that camels can go for long periods of time without water and that they can drink large amounts of water in one go, up to 90 litres. However, the excess water is stored in the bloodstream, not the hump. Camels don't actually need to drink as much water as you might think, because their bodies are so good at conserving it. They don't do any of that wasteful sweating malarky like humans, their pee is basically as thick as treacle and their droppings are so dry that they can (and are) used as firelighters.
