My Adventure with Clyde
Riding
a camel is very tricky. I found this out when I took a trip
to the Sahara Desert in northern Africa and got to ride
on one.
My camel, whom I named Clyde, was tall, with stubby brown fur. He also had large yellow teeth and breath that smelled awful. But he was friendly. I had heard that camels may spit at people, but Clyde didn’t spit at me.
When I got on Clyde’s saddle for the first time, he was resting on the ground. I thought it would be easy to hang on while he stood up. I was definitely wrong!
To stand up, a camel makes three moves. First, Clyde got up on his front knees while his back legs were still resting on the ground. This made me fall so far backward that I was afraid I’d roll off. Then, with his front knees still on the ground, Clyde straightened his long back legs. This threw me so far forward that I thought I’d tumble over his head. Finally, he straightened his front legs and stood on all four feet. This made me drop backward again. It was like taking a carnival ride!
Camels are known for their ability to walk slowly for long distances. During my ride, I felt restless sometimes and wanted to jump off Clyde’s back. I knew I could walk faster than Clyde was walking. But the desert sun was hot. I knew if I did this I’d soon get tired and thirsty. But Clyde wouldn’t. His body was made for desert life.
Clyde
has one hump on his back that is used to store fat. Camels
can have one or two humps. Most camels with one hump, like
Clyde, live in northern Africa and the Middle East. Most
two-humped camels live in Central Asia. The humps on camels’
backs may look funny, but they help camels stay alive in
the desert.
Camels like to eat many kinds of plants, especially desert grass and salty plants. But when a camel cannot find anything to eat, its body starts using the fat in its hump. If too much of this fat is used, the hump gets soft and flops over. After the camel gets food and rest, the hump becomes straight and hard again.
Unlike most animals, camels can go without water for about a week. When water is available, a camel can drink as much as a bathtubful in just ten minutes! The extra water a camel drinks stays in its body until it is needed.
Most large animals have trouble walking on deep desert sands. If they have small feet, they tend to sink into the sand. But camels have pads on their wide feet that help them stay on top of the sand.
Desert storms can be another problem for some animals. Powerful winds can blow sand into their eyes, ears, and nostrils. But storms don’t bother camels either. Clyde’s eyes are protected from sand by heavy eyelashes. His ears have fur linings that keep out the sand, and he can close his slitlike nostrils for protection.
When I traveled in the desert with Clyde, I had to carry my food and water with me. I also had to cover my head with a long scarf for protection from the sun and sand. Clyde didn’t have to do any of these things. His body is perfect for his desert home.
