Bresnahan said that the more body surface an animal has relative to its weight, the better it can tolerate heat. Under that rule, the polar bear, with its great bulk and relatively short limbs, is suited for cold. By contrast, the camel, with its stringy neck, lanky legs and long, silly tail, is the world champion heat-beater. All these animals can produce water as they digest bone-dry food, so they don't have to drink much, Bresnahan said. And they suck every bit of usable water out from waste products before those leave the body.
Camels are different from other mammals right down to their unusual red blood cells.
Rather than large and round, the blood cells of camels are small and oval. This means that when a camel is 35 to 40 percent dehydrated, its blood still circulates. Dehydrate a human by 12 percent, Bresnahan said, and he's a goner. This site is maintained by University Relations, the public relations office for the University of Kansas Lawrence campus. Copyright 1997, the University of Kansas Office of University Relations, Lawrence, KS, U.S.A. Images may be reused with notice of copyright, but not altered.