They have hard pads on the brisket, knees and elbows to protect them when they kneel. Camels conserve water by reduced sweating and they also concentrate their urine like most desert mammals. Their body temperature rises nearly 3 o C before they start to sweat. It may fall by 6 o C at night. They can lose much of their body water without ill effects and rapidly return to normal when they are again able to drink.
Camels have exceptionally good eyesight and sense of smell.
The Arabian camel, which is the only species found feral in Australia, is a large animal weighing between 450 and 650 kg. It is grey brown or dun coloured with a darker hump, shoulder and back of the neck. The winter coat, which is shed in early summer, is longer and darker than the summer coat. The single hump makes up to 20 per cent of the body weight. It consists of connective tissue and stored fat.