From the archive record
Why are their feet tied together? Perhaps to ensure that they don't stray far, while feeding. Camels along a narrow metalled road in the Thar desert, Rajasthan, India, with Calotropis procera (ak or acra) shrubs in the foreground. Camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus. Camel has distinctive fatty deposits, known as humps, on its back. The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. A fully grown adult camel stands 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) at the shoulder and 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) at the hump. Camels can run at up to 65 km/h (40 mph) in short bursts and sustain speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph). Camel's humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body. Camels are able