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Reptiles

How Much Water Can a Camel Drink?

Updated: Jun 04, 2024

Camels are capable of drinking 30 gallons (135 liters) of water in under 15 minutes. The camel's body is very efficient when it comes to water use and it reabsorbs it after use. For example, water vapor that is normally part of breathing is reabsorbed in the camel's nostrils as the animal exhales. Contrary to popular belief, camels do not store water in their humps. Rather their humps are built up of fat, which can then be turned into energy when sources of nutrition are not available. As the camel uses its fat storage, the hump can become soft and floppy.

More about camels:

  • Camels can carry between 375 to 600 pounds (170 to 270 kg) when traveling for 29 miles (47 km) a day.
  • Camels can grow to be 7 feet tall (2.1 meters) and weigh up to 1,800 pounds (816 kg).
  • A camel's diet consists of whatever is growing in the area. Like cows, camels regurgitate their food and re-consume it.
Discussion Comments
By RoyalSpyder — On Aug 22, 2014

When it comes to camels and their ability to adapt, I'm amazed at the amount of water they can store. While I was aware of some ways in which camels deal with the environment, the fact that they can drink thirty gallons in under 15 minutes really shows that animals are built and created to adapt to their surrounds, sometimes in amazing ways.

By Hazali — On Aug 21, 2014

In relation to the last bullet point, I didn't know that camels regurgitated their food and re-consumed it. Like many things a camel can do, I am assuming this must be a way for them to adapt. After all, let's look at it this way. What if a camel is traveling through the desert, and there's little to no food available? In order to survive, they could regain their nutrients by regurgitating up their most recent meal, and re-eating it again. Though that might sound disgusting to us, it's something most animals do, and it's how they survive.

By Krunchyman — On Aug 21, 2014

Reading this article, it's no wonder that even in this day and age, people are always using camels for food transportation, and other methods as well. Not only are they a great way to get around, but even more so, they are perfectly able to adapt to their environment, much better than us anyway. Also, I like how the article debunked the myth of camels storing water in their humps. This is something most people seem to believe (myself included), and as interesting as that might seem, it's definitely not true.

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