Lap Camels

camels and I Yet, camels are fascinating. They are so much more than you might expect. They have ridiculous evolutionary traits, incredible adaptations from inside out, from the tiniest cells in their bodies to those big old humps you know and love and spoilers. That hump is not filled with water, but something else. Discover this and more as we answer the age old question, is that a flesh balloon coming out of your mouth? Or are you just happy to

see me? Joining me today is producer podcaster friend of the show, Friend of Camel's Bridget Greenberg. Welcome, Hey, best friend of camels, big dumb faces, so excited you got the dumbest faces. They do. They have the sweetest, dumbest faces. I love I love them so just like you look at them from any angle really, from that amazing pouty lips, those big bug eyes, it's such a and then those luscious eyelashes. Oh yeah, they have beautiful eyelashes. And uh,

they are constantly chewing nothing. It seems like every time I've seen one, it's like chewing the cut. Yes. Yeah, they're just like chewing a circle motion stereo with their weird eyes. I was traveling in Israel once and we're on like a tour bus, and I fell asleep and I woke up. I don't I don't know. You woke up next to a camel. I've heard this story a million times. Oh yeah, I made it happens. They're very seductive.

Um the eyelashes. No, I like woke up on the store of Us and I like look out into the distance and I swear to God, I saw a camel with the fez on, just wandering the desert. Yeah. I don't know if it's true. It was like, I don't know if it like escaped somewhere, but I was wearing a fez and it was just a lone camel out in the desert. Camels I enjoy fashion as well. I mean, yeah, no one else said they saw it, but I I swear he was wearing a little hat. I like that.

I like that there is a cryptid now that is camel wearing a fez, and Bridget has seen it and swears it shaky at the Middle East and confuses sleepy tourists. That's incredible. They're everywhere out there, they are, and it's really interesting because they are domesticated, and they have become much more cosmopolitan, much more globally present than they were

typically when they were wild. Huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense because I mean I felt bad for the camels, but traveling around I would just see them, like at gas stations and be like, hey, pet my camel for like five dollars. Oh gosh, five dollars a pet. Yeah, one pet, five dollars. That's there. That's has to be hard to keep a camel, I mean actually, I mean maybe if you're trying to keep it in your apartment.

But they were very well suited to domestication. They're more strong willed than say a horse or a cow, but they are they were I mean the fact that they are so hardy and so well adapted to extremes made them invaluable in terms of being pack animals and animals that we rode on and and domesticated animals in human history. Yeah, I guess that they do seem very they're very gentle. Yeah, they're gentle, but with but with a little bit of attitude, which I admire. Yeah, yeah, you know, they have some

edge to them. Yeah, and you can tell you stare at you with their expressionless dumb faces, just chewing in big old circles like I'm gonna go where I want to go, So just sort of a rundown. What is a camel? A camel is an even toed ungulate like dear sheep, bison. They're actually distantly related to whales and dolphins, which also descended from who land animals. But yeah, they're basically they're even toed ungulates. So they're similar to antelope, deer,

sheep pigs. Is that what the is? Are we going to find out? The hump is a fin essentially a fin, I like that sand whales they're called sand dolphins dolphins. I love that for them. So camels have an interesting evolutionary history. The oldest known camel, Protolopus, lived around fifty million years ago and was about as big as a medium sized dog, So not very big, little tiny miniature camel. Cute, let's bring that back. That feels more like the apartment camel.

I know, lap camel. I would love a dream little lap camel and pettit have a spit up spit at courtesan's that I don't like. Yeah, the spit is grassed. So we don't necessarily know if these early ancestors of camels actually had a hump or not. We don't have the soft tissue evidence. Um, but they were found in

North America. In fact, camels lived in North America until around fifteen thousand years ago, when they went ex inked along with other mega fauna, probably because humans came along and just ruined everything, as as we tend to like to do this mega fun. Well no, so, so these early ancestors of camels went extinct, But the other other species of camels evolved and moved across the globe and became their own thing. So that's why we got big camels.

I mean, the some of the camels that lived in North America were quite big, actually a little taller than modern day camels. May or may not have had a hump, but they did. They went extinct, while the other camels that migrated over to northern Africa and Asia actually ended up surviving until modern times after going through a little bit of human mettaalings. So interestingly, camels, uh, we're not always adapted solely for hot climates, nor are they solely

found in hot climates even in even today. Um, which we'll talk a little bit about later, But first thing to know is that there are three species of camel still alive today, which I think a lot of people just think there's like it's camel. Every camel is just camel. There are three types of camel. Yeah, it's funny because, yeah, you said three types of species, and I did think camels just camel, and then I also at the same

time thought that seems low. But so there is the dromedary camel, which is probably the camel you're thinking of right now. Yeah, that that looks like camel, camel, camel camel, sort of your camel classic, which is actually a little deceptive because there is the bactery and camel, which is probably actually an older species of camel and the wild bactory and camel. So we are going to talk about the Bactrian and the wild Bactrian, who are fascinating camels.

But first we're going to talk about the good old Dromedary camel, the one we know and love, which is also incredibly, incredibly interesting. So the Dromedary is the most common camel. Um. It is your stereotypical, prototypical, archetypical, all the typicals camel. They're the ones that wear the feaces exactly, very handsome. And it is a domesticated animal. It is not a wild animal. They are all domesticated and it has not been wild for at least two thousand years.

So yeah, it's you know, essentially like a horse or a cow, it is domesticated. I remember seeing, like I've seen wild horses, and I like my mind was kind of blown, like they just exist. But that's up. I thought camels were just you know, thrown it in the woods, making more camels the desert. Well they can be. So there are feral camels. In fact, a lot of feral camels. That fact we'll talk about. Actually I don't like that. I don't like that actually that's very scary. We will

talk about some of these feral camels. Uh, and while they're maybe not scary to humans, there are some problems with feral camels. So there there are big populations of feral camels, but they are technically feral versions of the domesticated camel. So just kind of a short description of the germanary camel. They have one hump, always one hump. They have short but shaggy fur, a long curved neck, and absolutely gorgeous maybe the line maybe it's maybe line.

Maybe she's born with it. Eyelashes and they are born with it. They are born with it, I mean, just such thick. They're stunning. Yeah, they could fan your face with their eyelashes. It's stunning. It's a look and I'm jealous, frankly. Yeah, uh yeah, they're they're dumb seductive faces. Can't get around it. Those camels are hot. They have they do have vogue faces. They know how to have that sort of unfocused, glazed look in their eye. They flutter their eyelashes and pout

with their lips there. Yeah, they're they're very very vogue. Yeah, they they look like they want you to pet them, but they do not. They will spit at you. Yeah. Yeah, Actually that spit is not spit but a mixture of saliva and regurgitate. Regurgitate, regurgitate. Regurg makes sense, it does, Yeah, because that's not I've seen the spit and it's not it looks it looks like they have a virus. Salt of time or yeah, yeah, it's it's it's it's pretty grossed.

It's throw up. It's a little bit of throw up. They regurgitate and we'll shoot it at you. And this is a defensive tactic that they use. It used to be against predators, but they will also do it if they're just piste off at you a human. They are very sassy creatures too. They always they do seem a bit pissed a lot. Yeah, it you know, it adds up. I I do like that as that feels like the kind of defensive tactic that someone like me would have, is that I just throw up at you. I like

that as a superpower as someone with stomach issues. Uh, enjoy that as a superpower of just at you. I did when I was in elementary school, um like, get sick during a choir practice, and I did on accident throw up on the front row, including a girl I didn't really like. So perfect. It was nontentional, right, exactly, it was. It was actually why we're while we were seeing uh do ah dear do remy fossil and then at the like do remy fossil, Latti barf everywhere on

the front row, but especially I really didn't like. So good, good job, thank you, uh my man, such a memorable birthday, A lot of cake. So I I really do feel for the camels because I it's like I really embodied the camel this day, the camel spirit. Yeah, the power of the camel. Today on my birthday, I shall exhibit the power of the camel. Yeah, so so uh wild

camel fur is typically that a lovely tan color. It can range from black to white and in very rare cases actually piebald, meaning a splotchy mix of black and white fur. So yeah, designer camels, So is that. I don't think it's a thing. Okay, Yeah, I mean I assume, yeah, I assume if you're breeding camels, you know, the designer camel. I got some coats. No, I'm just want the animal designer camel. No, I'm still getting coats. So I'm going to assume maybe there are designer camels, but uh, maybe

they're also just wearing designer coats. I like that better. Yeah, it's a it's a coat for a camel to not out of a camel, don't worry. So uh, I mean it could be a coat mad out of the camel's wool, not the like, you don't necessarily have to kill the camel to get camel wool, which is you know, nice, I guess, which is good. So the wild ancestors of dromedaries adapted to intense desert regions, which is actually probably

why they were domesticated, because they are so gosh darn hardy. Uh. These original dromedary camels would live in the Sahara and was able to withstand intense conditions in the desert um. So this was a huge boon for people who lived in the desert regions because they could be used as pack animals transportation. They could even be used for their milk, their wool, and also their meat. So they've also been used for plowing fields. I mean, like they were really

really useful for people who lived in these desert regions. Yeah, that makes sense. They're kind of like they feel like the cows of that area, Like if you let them loose on the field, they're going to just eat the day away. I mean, they're kind of they're like really metal versions of cows, uh and like and just kind of I don't know, it's they're they're like a utility ungulate because there's so many different things that they can do,

you know, hanging things off those hubs. Yeah, I mean I would in an apocalyptic environment, I would rather have a camel than a horse, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. They definitely seem more party and less high maintenance. Yeah then those damn horses. But it is have you have you ever ridden a caw? I have not. I imagine it's extremely comfortable. Um yeah, I I did one of those. It is um crazy getting up. It's what I imagined like a hydraulic car to be like, because the camel actually doesn't.

The camel lie down and then you get on it and then yeah yeah, and they stand up like one leg at a time, so it's just in the very long legs on that camel you got. Yeah, so it's just like one at a time, kind of like shifting you a good like seven eight ft in the air, Yeah, making like root root noises. Yeah, horses a little not that a horse ride is comfortable, but I would recommend

it more. They also, you know, the back spaces, it's mostly humped back there, so you have not a don't really have a lot of rooms, right right, not much lumbar support. No camel How dare they not be designed with the lumbar support, these animals, these living creatures. Yeah, they It turns out they weren't made just for me to ride them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. If they were, they definitely come with sort of like cup holders and seat belts. Yeah, I know. They should be a little

more organomical and they're probably a little less stubborn. The camel I was on did not want to go in the direction of all the other camels. Yeah, they've got they've got none of them did, Yeah, none of none of the camels. It wasn't like particular to me, like we were Yeah, none of the camels seemed interested in going the direction that the ride was the camel ride was designed for. Like, they got their own stuff going on. Maybe they know they're gonna DJ that night, you don't know, Yeah,

I got they got stuff going on. Yeah, their social calendar is full, thank you. Yeah, they didn't get put

on all that mascara for nothing. So the drumedary camel still lives in hotter arid regions like the Sahara Desert, but domestication has distributed them all across Africa, Asia, the Persian Gulf, and they were even brought to Australia in the mid eighteen hundreds, which, like many animals that were imported to Australia, was a terrible decision because now there are over a million feral camels wandering and ransacking the Australian bush. No that is yeah, yeah, don't bring animals

to places where animals don't go, specially Australia. Yeah, I mean they they're full of non native species. They they're closed off that. Yeah. I don't. I don't like animal as big as a camel. The idea of that being feral I can handle, but like that's too big to f that's scary. Come on, mittens, and it's just like a herd of angry camera of camels. I don't like that.

But they're I don't like they're gentle and they have a big, dumb, flat teeth, but they're very big there's a that's a lot of sass to have in a feral population of camel. It's funny because I cannot see them being like a camel. Camel aggression to me is very just sass. Yeah, I mean they do like do you spit as we've talked about, or you know, the regurgitating weaponized regurgitating. Um, they also do. They will bite,

I mean if they feel like they have to. Yeah, it feels like all their defenses are kind of like I mean, I'm sure the bite is hard, but it's not gonna like tear you apart like a camel's not gonna eat you. Yeah, that's what they want you, that's though, that's what they want you to think. Yeah, they're there. Their teeth are weird, although they might eat you if you are already dead, uh, which I'll talk about we'll

talk about a little bit more later. Um. But yeah, these feral camels are actually a significant problem because they are devastating to the native plant populations and they cause erosion with all their stomping with those big, flat, floppy feet of theirs. Um. But yeah, I mean it's a

real testament to the camel's hearty adaptations. That they have become such a ust in Australia because they can just kind of dominate because they're so they have so many incredible adaptations to be able to survive in extreme conditions that when you plot them in Australia, they're like, we can, we can. Yeah, we'll take it. We can do it. Yeah looks nice. Yeah because fire tornadoes, we got it.

We don't care. Uh yeah, because I have to imagine they just eat constantly too, like if they're not just well it's yeah, it's interesting because they will eat when they have the opportunity to, but they do. They are able to withstand incredibly inhospitable conditions and they can last for quite a while without eating, without drinking, and it

is stunning what they are able to endure. Um, but we are going to take a quick break and when we get back, we are going to talk about how the camel is one of the most extreme, most hardy large mammals in the world. Bridget, You're ready to talk about how much camel's rule. Hell, yeah, that's why I'm here.

They're I mean, like I often like to talk about lesser known animals on the show, sort of the the animals you don't, you know, aren't aren't one of the big animals that we kind of talk about all the time. But camels are really interesting because they are Everyone knows that they're really hardy. They can survive without water. But I think there's a lot of misconceptions about how they do this, and it's actually incredibly impressive what they are

capable of. Yeah, I mean, I I know this is wrong. I I've always as it was hump based, Uh why they are able to survive. I'm sure the hump has something to do with it. But yes, they're they're hardcore. If they can live out, you know, in those deserts, Yes, and just not drink for days exactly. More. Yeah, they're a little more metal than they look. They're very metal,

much more metal than that long luxurious lashes. And actually those eyelashes also being just iconic, do serve a very important purpose in terms of keeping their eyes protected from sand because they live in these places where there can be sandstorms, and these really thick, long lashes act, as you know, essentially like a a fence, fencing or or

a net that that protects their eyes. They also have a nictitating membrane, which is you know, like, when have you ever seen a sleepy cat where they kind of like open their Yeah, it's that third eyelash that goes sideways. Yes, exactly, that that third eyelid, the nictitating membrane. Birds also have it um and it's like, so that's when cats and they're kind of like half awake, they look at you and they have this weird, like very silly expression because

that third eyelid is sort of halfway across their eye. Well, camels also have this, and they can also use that to protect their eyes from sand um. But yeah, so they are just incredibly well adapted to dry, desert arid environments and can survive extreme water loss. Now, Bridget you mentioned like you were thinking, like this hump has a lot to do with their survival, and that is true, But have you had the notion that it has something to do with, uh helping them with hydrating, like like

storing water, preventing water loss or something like that. Yeah, that is what I had always heard that camel back backpack. This is kind of what I assume the uh the hump was was essentially just like a big water bladder. But I also know that's wrong because it's not like if you poke that thing. It's not like that. It's not a bladder of right, it doesn't slash around. Yeah, so you know that's what I've heard, but I've assumed

that was wrong. Yeah, I mean, so it does serve a very important purpose, but that is not to keep the camel hydrated. It is actually other factors, other evolutionary advantages that the camel has that helps it survive without water. So in temperatures of up to a hundred and four degrees fahrenheit, they only need to drink water every ten to fifteen days, which is, for the record, a lot longer than humans can. You'd be very dead. I'd be dead.

We'd be a pile of bones. I mean not bones, but yeah, but but dead, but certainly dead, certainly dead. That sounds like a long time. Yes. When it does drink, it drinks very heartily. It can drink over four gallons or liters a minute, and can drink around thirty gallons or a hundred and fifteen liters in one sitting. I that in the the minute, that how much you can drink in a minute is shocking to because I I feel like you need a hose to do that, Like,

I feel like them just laughing up water. It's gotta be that. That seems they do that at a quick rate. Yes, very powerful mouths, just hoovering up water. Yeah, it feels like it would need a tusk to drink that much water. But good for them. Uh. Yeah, So the water is not stored in the hump. Uh. The hump is actually a fibrous mass of fatty tissue that is stored and can be metabolized as food. Uh, for the nutrition for the camel if it is unable to find food. So

it's not really for water, it is for nutrition. That is handy. Yes, it's like a backpack full of snacks, except it's kind of it's just it's just anya. Yeah. And this hump can store up to eighty pounds or thirty six of fats. So that is significant. That is a significant canently uh adequate source of nutrition if they are encountering scarcity. Does that mean does it like shrink? Yeah as they consume it, Yeah, it's kind of deflates. Uh. And it's kind of like a sad balloon. Um. But

with a full plump, they can go several months without food. Wow. Yeah for them in terms of the water, how they survive, on how they are able to drink a huge amount of water and then go so long without having to drink more water. It is actually inside of them, uh that is mostly responsible for their water preservation in terms of their organs like their kidneys, uh, and also as small as their blood cells. Their blood cells are actually

oval shaped rather than round like our blood cell. Red bullet blood cells are kind of like these little like uh, doughnuts without a hole in them, But camel red blood cells are oval shaped, and what that allows is for the blood flow to continue even when they're severely dehydrated. So they're kind of more streamlined, these blood cells, so they can continue to flow through the veins even in cases of severe dehydration. That is very thorough evolution. Yes, Uh,

that is incredible. That Yeah, down to the blood cell, it has figured out how to live in the desert. Yeah,

it's amazing. I mean, if you want an example of how blood cell shape can kind of change based on a mutation but then end up being advantageous, you only need to look at humans, where people can get sickle cell anemia, which is generally speaking not necessarily advantageous, but it does make it harder to contract malaria, and so with sickle cell anemia actually provides an advantage to people who are in areas where there is high malaria risks.

So you can see how you might have some kind of mutation with blood cell shape that um may not seem ideal, but then in certain situations, in certain environments, it actually is a really good mutation. A man evolution is cool, Ain't it wacky? It's it's it's wild that. Yeah, your your body just figures out how to best survive

and then forms everybody that way. Yeah, I mean it's just like it's but it's just luck, right, like if you're if you're the person, you're just kind of born with the mutation, and it's like, oh, actually this is pretty good. It's just end up surviving and end up having babies and passing that onto them. Yeah, good for

these camels and their long blood cells. So yeah. Camels can also voluntarily close their nostrils um, which will prevent sand from entering their nostrils and can also help them prevent more water loss, like by exhaling out of their nostrils in like these very dry, windy conditions. How do they breathe. Well, it's voluntary, so they open up. They're

not holding their breath to breathe. Yeah, I mean it's like it's sort of like uh blinking in a way, although like voluntary blinking, like if you if it's really windy or something, you might kind of blink more to keep your eyes were moisturized. It's the same thing with this, uh nostrils. It's no, it's nose blinking kind of that. I have seen that happen. It is. It's weird. Yeah, I kind of always thought of it as blinking that it is like kind of involuntary. But that's cool. They're

big dump nostrils. So other adaptations is Another adaptation is that they have thick leathery skin on their feet, knees, and chest areas so they can protect themselves from the hot sand while walking, kneeling and lying down because they do often kind of lie down with their legs tucked under them. It's very cute. Yeah, yeah, they're they're they're they're like, like I I think of them as a very kind of lazy animal because they always see them

lying down in it. They're efficient. It's not it's efficiency, it's efficiency energy efficiency. And they Yeah, that's what I call my naps energy efficient, energy efficiency. Yeah. They also just have the sleepiest faces. They really do, they really do. And then just like that slow chewing. It's it's adorable. They always look like the chilling Yeah, and that chewing. Actually they are chewing their cuts so they regurgitate this quasi digested vegetation back up to chew it some more

and swallow it again. It's something a lot of ungulates will do, a lot of ruminants will do. It's pretty gross. It's pretty gross. In addition to that, though, they also have really thick lips that they can grasp and choot, like pull out and chew vegetation. And since the vegetation they have to contend with is often thorny and prickly, they have really thick lips and inside of their mouths so they can chew on it without getting hurt getting scratched.

Oh yeah, that's why they have the big faces, those potty lips, and those luscious eyela bushes actually served quite a good evolutionary purpose. Yeah, I just like, like, what are you chewing on my own bombit? I want some spits at you. Yeah, just keeping it in my mouth in case, just in case we do have to talk about their love lives. It's fascinating, course, it's it's I mean, I've been I've been staring at this picture that you have of a camel making love to another camel for

an inappropriate amount of time. It is something that, I mean, like, without sounding weird, it's like kind of fascinating because it was not how I pictured them mating. Honestly. Yeah, they yeah, they're they're very large and unruly animals. I would say their body seems unruly. Uh yeah, just a lot of long legs in a week, hump in along neck. Yeah, So the physics seem off, it does it does? It's they're ungainly and then you see how they mate, and it's like, I guess, I guess that is kind of

the only way to do it. So what it is is the female is lying down with her legs tucked under her, sort of just classic bread loaf camel pose, and uh, the male is very awkwardly stretched over her with his neck kind of like sticking out, his legs straddling her, his front legs straddling her, and then you know, just kind of kneeling behind her. And just what's funny to me is it looks like so much effort for the male and then the female is just like just

lying down. Yeah, whatever, do what you gotta do. Yeah it ah, yeah, that male seems stressed, yeah to see the least. And she was just like, yeah, good for her. But also I like the body shape that this camel that the male has contorted itself too, which is just like a ball with a Do you remember those skipid things that you would tie around your ankle, yes, all, yeah, it's sort of like that shape, but if the ball was like a cannon ball. Yeah, yeah, it's it really.

It's like, I guess we're just so used to seeing the camel and its normal position with its like next sort of in a sloping you shape, just kind of walking around, but when it like stretches its neck out and its legs out and it's like a little pot belly is shoved unceremoniously on its knees. Yeah, it's yeah, I figure it's e t it's it's it looks like et uh. It has that long neck and then that weird circle body. Yes, it's it's like little squat legs.

I don't it's not dignified. It's not very dignify. No, uh, it's you know, they have to do this in public. But speaking of undignified, males have a lot of romantic gestures that they will offer for females to try to attract them, one of which is splashing their own urine around their genitals. Well, of course, of course, I mean, I mean how that it's camel cologne. Yeah, and you want that area to spell good. I can't feel like, I know they don't. I know, the female just kind

of like picks it up. But what you don't have to do it on the genitals. I'm stiffing down there, But like, where else are you going to go? You can't really aim it um and might as well. I would rather use splash your urine you know where the urine comes from on its neck or something altho. Yeah, like not sort of like the perfume thing where you roll a little bit on your wrists and on your neck. It's because I like with animals, you know, with wild animals,

you know, I just assume they're covered in urine. I don't think they need to do the extra work. Yeah, I'm sure that splashback happens. I mean, it's it's basically water park rules, right, like is going to be pe You just have to accept it. You just gotta Yeah, they're covered and we didn't need to do extra work for it, but you know, if it works, who am

I to judge? And speaking of extra work, the mails do have another romantic gesture to offer the females, and it is inflating a sack of flesh inside their mouth, letting it flop out the side of their mouth like this big wet, pink balloon, and then sort of pushing air through it such that it makes this like rumbling, gurgling, bubbling sound. And yeah, it's very hot. It is called the dola. Uh and this is what it sounds like. Oh that is not what I was expecting. That sounds

like a water cooler. Yeah that. I'm also I'm looking at this thing that's not their tongue. No, that is um, you know, I don't want to judge, but gross, it sounds a little bit judge actually though. Yeah it's oh man that it looks like a turd coming out of its mouth. You're dull ashaming these camels. I I yeah, I mean, you know, if it if it helps them attractmates. Good, good for them. I just if I saw that, I would not go near that camera on you. No, No,

that doesn't work for me a human. But ah, what I know about camel love. I don't like that thing. It's just like another what what happened? Like so just they can just inflate it. That's just when then suck it back in. It's actually it's like tissue that's sort of I believe is mean out of the same tissue found in like our soft palate. But it's just kind of like a bunch of flappy tissue that's inflatable that they can stick out the side of their mouth. Yeah. Cool.

I guess if it works for you, it works for you. For me, it it freaks me out a little bit, But I think it's personally for me. I like the thought. I think it's a nice thought. It's considerate. It's yeah, yeah, check out this flappy gum. It's it's like when you're like double jointed or something and you're like, check this out.

I guess it's a There was a guy who in my high school would flirt with girls by showing how he can like control his salivary glands under his tongue and like squirt the saliva out, shoot it out, which you know, not you know, not unsimilar to a camel um,

but uh yeah, not the best move human. But you know, I don't remember if he ever got got someone to go to the problem with him using that technique, but you know, using that spitting yeah, uh yeah, that thing is Yeah, it looks like a big grist balloon tongue hanging out of its mouth. Don't forget wet also wet, big gross balloon. Yeah, it seems very vulnerable to just like hang that out of your mouth, right, That's what I'm saying that it's like showing vulnerability. Is there anything

sexier than showing vulnerability? That's that's true because it feels like, you know, you don't want to get sand in that you have to put it back in your mouth, and that can be said for a lot of things. That's that's true. But you know, uh it just yeah, it does seem very just like, here's this soft, weird, fleshy thing that lives in my mouth and it's for you. Now. Is that so different from human kissing? I guess not. I guess not. I mean, I don't know. Here's the soft, weird,

fleshy thing that lives in my mouth. It's for you, now, it's for you. Now here, take it. I'm gonna try that on my husband. Yeah, just here. Uh uh yeah. I guess what we do is weirder because I assume the female doesn't put that in her mouth too. Yeah, probably not. So there you go. Camels less disgusting than humans. But that's what we've figured out here. Good for camels, Good for camels. Bridget I promise that we would talk about factory and camels, and now here we are going

to talk about. So. Bactrian camels may not be what you imagine when you think about a camel, or I mean, maybe it is. I don't know I, I don't know you. But these were actually the more of the o g camels. There's genetic evidence and fetal development of Dromedary camels suggests that they probably evolved from the Bactrian camels wild ancestors, rather than the Bactrian camels evolving from dromedary like camels. So uh, Bactrian camels today are domesticated, just like the dromedaries.

There is a species known as the wild bactory and camel, but This is actually not like a wild version or a feral version of the domesticated Bactrian camel. It is a relative of the Bactrian camel that diverged evolutionarily. We're a million years ago. So we will talk about the wild Bactrian camel in a bit. They are amazing, but first let's talk about the Bactrian camel, the domesticated Bactrian camel. So, domesticated Bactrian camels are not just adapted for the heat,

but for extreme cold. So even though camels are known for living in hunt climates, camel ancestors actually adapted to climates such as the cold, extreme cold temperatures, and the Bactrian camel today still has to contend with the extreme cold. So the bactory and camel is native to the steps of Central Asia, which are flat grasslands at a high altitude. So Bactrian camels do have similar adaptations to the Dromedary

camels in terms of surviving drought and starvation. They actually have to humps instead of one hump, but the humps served the same purpose as the dromedary camels. They store fat, but uh they also tend to be taller. The humps tend to be taller than the dromedaries, and when they are low on fat, that makes them flop over to one side. So when the bactin is kind of like uh using some of the fat stores, these these humps

flop over, oh, floppy humps. Floppy humps. And actually, something that I didn't mention with the dromedary but is true of them as well as it is true with the bactreen camels, is that they have another trick up their sleeve. If they are really running out of food, they will no longer. They will not just restrict themselves to vegetation. They will eat bones. So they will eat the bones or even the kind of like leathery flesh from mummified or decaying carcasses. And they have even been known to

eat tints and rope when they are desperate enough. All that, but that can't provide anything, I mean bones, certainly because they're eating like marrow essentially. Yeah, all bloodies don't eat the rope rope, phone, help you. I like these guys. They're yeah, they're they're short. They got two humps. That makes them better than the one hump camel. Camel war But yeah, objectively. This is like a sneeches a situation,

isn't it. Yeah, I don't. I don't want to start this amongst camels, but it kind of seems objective to me that, you know, two humps or they're taller, yeah, the smaller Yeah on a smaller camel, bigger humps, and they fluffy. They are massively ma sibly fluffy. So yeah, this one looks like it's well, it's interesting. So they are. They have a very thick furry coat in the winter that is just completely poofy, like so fluffy. I'm talking like,

you know, just bison levels of total fluff. Beyond that, they're like I like, yeah, I like its chest fluff. They have so much fluff, and I mean I I just kind of want to like hug one of these things and get lost in the It is so fluffy. It actually will shed this winter coat in the summer, spring and summer and it will fall off in these huge, messy clumps. And it looks like a toddler took a pair of razor to this poor camel and just started going to town. But it looks like that camels going

through or something. Yeah, yeah, or like the camel's just kind of like decaying or something. But it's totally natural. It's just that this coat has to come off, and it comes off really rapidly, so it comes off in these huge chunks. That makes it look like a cat an incredibly bad day at a barber's. Yeah, I like that. In this picture, it seems to be like middle, then top, the bottom, so it still has all that like proud chest fluff, but the top is a is a mess. Yeah,

in the middle is patchy at best. When I'm also confused about it is this camel seems to be outside a house, and therefore I assume is taken care of by the people who live in that house. Can't they just shave that camel? I mean, it's but this is natural. For the camera, it's gonna do it. Yeah, it's gonna do it regardless. I would just it's not probably bothering him. Yeah, I wonder if I guess they don't, because, like you know, when you give a dog a haircut and they can

get embarrassed about it. I do have to trim my dog's butt fluffies otherwise the poop can get stuck to the butt fluff and the amount of treats it takes to bribe her to tolerate the butt fluffy haircut is enormous. Yeah. No, I mean, I don't know what you're doing back there. Yeah. If that hair, yeah, if that hair just falls fell off,

I assume, Yeah, it's better just let it. Yeah. And the reason that they are they have to go through this incredible change from being like this incredible poofy fluffy thing to having a very short coat is that they live in an environment that has the most dramatic temperature

changes of almost anywhere in the world. Because from for the Steps and the Gobi Desert, it can get down into five degrees to negative twenty degrees Fahrenheite in the winter, which is negative fifteen degrees to negative thirty degrees celsius, which is so so cold, um and in the summer gets up to temperatures of around a hundred degrees fahrenheit or over or thirty eight degrees celsius, so goes from being increasous below freezing cold to being boiling, blistering lee hot.

Good for them, you know, to be able to groom themselves for that. Yeah, that's that's a that's a good trait that also, Yeah, I would if it was that hot, I'd find a way to get anything off my body. Yeah,

I just start peeling my skin off. Yeah. Yeah, but yeah, And they also have adaptations that allow them to survive in the really dry winter condition because winters can even though like we think some in certain climates you think of winters as being maybe kind of wet, a lot of rain or something, winter extremely dry, the factory and camel can actually eat small amounts of snow to stay hydrated, which is not something you should do as a human. Yeah,

I guess not. No, you should not. If you if it's on the ground, if it came from the sky, no you should not. You shouldn't eat even fresh snow for hydration because you're actually going to dehydrate yourself more. It takes more moisture for you to process that really cold cold snow, and your body essentially has to like melt it so that you can process it, and it ends up on net causing making your metabolism work harder, and so you actually end up loose using water when

you eat snow like that. So if you are hiking in the snow and you're thirsty, do not eat the snow unless you're a back drain camel, or you boil that snow. I don't know, you boil the snow from Florida. I live in California. Now, I don't have a lot of snow experience, right, I don't. I don't know what it takes. Yeah, yeah you can. You can catch snowflakes on your tongue. That's fine, but don't don't eat snow if you are hiking in your thirsty it's not not

a good situation unless you boil it. But the back drain camel can eat small amounts of snow. It can't go overboard or else. It will actually encounter the same problem as humans and other mammals. But they are one of the few animals that are able to eat snow, and they have a fish and enough internal thermal regulation to be able to turn the snow into something that actually hydrates them. So uh, it is a really really

useful adaptation for them that we do not possess. Good for them, Good for them, I mean, you know, maybe maybe live in a nicer climate. Camme, well, it will be a lot easier for you. But you know, like we're making it work and work camels take a break, moved to the beach. It's like like, well I'm tired of the cold, Well let me move to the desert instead. That was the decision they made. Um. Yeah, but they actually were really important in human history, the backt and camel.

Their ability to survive in incredibly harsh conditions from the extreme heat to the extreme cold, allowed humans to use them as pack animals along the Silk Road, and without this camel, this trade route would probably not have been possible. Yeah, that, I mean makes a lot of sense because I feel like I've seen pictures of camels like packed up with stuff, and it seems easy for them. It seems like they

got it. Yeah, I mean they are. They're they're strong, and they they are very they can they travel long distances. They're very good at traveling long distances, and they are extremely hardy and they can survive a really long time without food or waters. So they're amazing as pack animals. Now, whether they enjoy it, I don't know. I don't know if they Yeah, but they can handle it. And uh, I don't think anybody enjoys walking that long. I don't think.

I don't think the humans were having a great time either, probably not. They did help. I mean this was before we had like jeeps, so you know we had how to use camels. We had to use Joe Camel. Yeah, impart all the cigarettes. Oh man, Joe Camel such a bad look for camels. Yeah, no, he wasn't. He wasn't their best spokesperson. No, no, they should have sent someone else,

but we got Joe. Um. But even though they look like kind of ungainly like, they wouldn't be able to run very fast, especially because they're fluffy back during camels as well as actually the drumedary camels can run pretty fast, up to forty miles per hour or sixty kilometers per hour. Typically, they don't like to run. That's not like their thing. They don't gallop around just for just for fun. But they can't. They don't seem like runners. Yeah, they don't.

They don't strike me as runners. They're not. They have those long legs, but I can't imagine that their bodies are so misshapen to their legs. They're they're awkward. They're a little awkward. They I mean, they are capable of running pretty fast, they just it is not not they're like not a fun activity for them. They're not like up at six am and they're in there. They Yeah, they seem low energy or they just know how to

conserve that energy. Yeah, with their with their CrossFit tennis shoes and they're yeah, I'm trying to think of the runner like intense runner outfits. Yeah, they have they have the belt with why they don't need the belt they like water belt yew, they got got the tube like the water backpack. That third picture you have with this factory and camel um, it's so funny. I do like that they seem to keep tufts of hair on the top.

I don't know if it's just waiting to lose those like thinner tufts of hair on the top of its back or humps, uh, but I like that it's just like a little decorative poof Yeah. I think they kind of keep those whispies, like those kind of dark whispies on the top of their humps. That's fun. It's really fun. It's just it's just fun. And I also like he has like he kept like top of the it looks like I know people with his hair cut. Yeahs like a nineties boy band like middle part haircut. Yeah. Good

it's good. Uh, it's it's a look. It looks like yeah, it's just it looks like this camel's like starting new you know. Yeah, he's a he's a what is it Backstreet boys? Yeah, yeah, I I like his haircut. I think he's he's doing good. He looks like, you know, it doesn't look that much like a crisis. I mean there's a little crisis going on underneath. But at the top he's grooming himself. Ye yeah, I mean like if you ignore him from sort of like the waist downs,

he's well groomed. Yeah. Um, it does look like one of those Chinese crested dogs. It does a little bit, yeah, which I do, which I do think are cute. Yeah, I do. I for the fluff, but you know, this camel's figuring out his look. Without this camel, it's got the best of both worlds because like in the winter, fluff for days, and then the summer, boy, yeah, and

the summer he's shedding. You know, yeah, you prepared, you prepared for the summer, and he knew what his look was going to be exactly, yeah, and he achieved it, he really did. I really like that. He does have this like like human like haircut. I hope he keeps that for the summer. Kind of dark roots too. Yeah. Yeah, it's grown out a little bit, a little bit of mullet shape going on, but he has he is is swoopy hair, little haircut. Yeah, really cute. Yeah, and it's

a little pomp pomps back. Do you like like? I like that? They just like keep that. They're just like these are for me, just like keep them keeping them. Yeah, So onto. The only undomesticated wild camel still left in the world the wild Bactrian. So again, this is not like a feral version of the Bactrian camel. This is a different species that diverged over a million years ago and it is the only still living, completely wild and

free camel. Now. Unfortunately, they are critically endangered. Only around a thousand individuals still exists in the wild, and in my opinion, it is really important to make sure they do not go extinct because they are incredible. So they live in the Gobi Desert and in China's Lopnur Desert mountain region in protected reserves, and these are the only places where you will find them. The wild Bactrian camel is more lithe and wiry than its domesticated counterparts, a

little more sleek, little more aerodynamic. Uh, it looks similar, more similar to the Bactrian camel, the domesticated Bactrian camel, than it does to a dromedary camel. It has two humps, it's got that the same a lot of the same features, the fluffy coat in the wind winter that it sheds in the summer because it lives in similar conditions in the the extreme hot and extreme cold climates. So yeah, it is. It is very similar in a lot of

ways to the domesticated Bactrian camel. Yeah it Uh, this looks like a wild camel now that I'm comparing, this looks like the this guy who's been out there, live in the he has been the road, live in a hard life. He also, yeah, I mean he's he's clearly losing patches of flour. But yeah, there's something about this one's eyes that is like I've seen out here. Um, it's not. It looks a little more alert than the other camels do. And indeed they have seen they have

seen some stuff, some crazy stuff. They actually faced nuclear threats from humans in the sixties. Uh. China in the sixties tested nuclear weapons in the atmosphere overlap near Um where these camels were located, so they were exposed to a lot of radiation. Oh. Weirdly enough, the camels survived. They were okay. Uh. They survived nuclear radiation from forty three nuclear tests over the Lobner region And it's really amazing.

It's hard to say how they managed this. It's possible that they're thick fur and skin may have protected them somewhat. There may also be something going on with their gut bacteria. I'll talk about that a little more in just a minute. But it's really incredible that they are were able to survive like nuclear radiation, extreme hot, extreme cold, nuclear radiation. That's mind blowing these That's a sturdy animal and it

did not deserve that. But that's that's incredible. I yeah, I guess it could be like camels and cockroaches at the end here. Yeah, no, I mean yeah, I think of the animals that may survive a like a nuclear winter, God forbid, maybe a camel. Yeah. Who would have thought? Not me. I would not have. They would not have been at the top of my list. But I'm proud of them. I'm proud of hopefully they don't have to do that again. But yeah, hopefully, because I'll tell you

one thing, they'd survive a lot better than humans one. Yeah, yeah, uh that I'm proud. I'm happy for them, very happy for them. Some good news is that in China signed the Comprehensive Test Band Treaty, so those nuclear tests no longer happen and now the area is a sanctuary for the camels. Oh yeah, I love that for them. Yeah, let them. You can't hug with nuclear arms, but you

can't hug a camel. It might spit at you. But you know, yeah, but you know, we all get puked on a little bit of one point exactly or puke on or yeah, and it's the beautiful circle of puke. Uh so uh. Something that is super super fascinating about these wild bactory and camels. So domesticated camels, the drummedaries and the domesticated Bactrian camels can tolerate slightly salty water, uh, slightly brackish water they'll be able to drink and uh process.

But the wild bactory and camel amazingly can drink salt water that is saltier than seawater, which again is not recommended for humans because it will kill you. If you drink you drink too much seawater, you're gonna die because that is your body is not designed to be able to handle that much salt. That is that I know that, I'm very well aware of the Yeah, I have blown away by these damn camels. We've learned two things today about human survival. Is that like, if you're thirsty in

the snow, don't eat snow. You're thirsty out at sea, don't drink the sea water unless your camel. And yeah, wild back during camel it's fine, You're good. Um they are so, yes, I mean, the exact mechanism for how they managed to drink this incredibly salty water is not yet known, but summary research is pointing in the direction of special gut bacteria that may be passed from the mother's milk to her offspring that allows them to process high salt content. So this is research that is just

kind of like starting to figure these things out. So it's not I mean, I have not seen like conclusive research. If anyone out there is a camel researcher and you know more, please let me know right right to me. Yeah, the camel is mysterious and how it survives. It's you think we know everything about the ding camel right at this point. It's like, Okay, sure, we don't know that much about this random like cave moss that nobody studied or something, or this in this obscure tiny frog, uh

deep in the rainforest. But this is a camel, and we don't know everything about this camel. It's I mean, it's kind of amazing that we still have so much to learn about this camel. Yeah, you know, don't be fooled by their dopey looks. Are full of mystery. They contain multitudes they I mean in those humps. Mhmm, you're just looking those humps, those humps, those lovely camel humps. Yeah, that's sad, he did not, like. Yeah, they're they're serious

creatures and that turns out badasses. Yeah, basses. Yeah. I really I will keep up to date on the camel research because I'm really interested in how these wild back dreen camels are able to survive radiation and drink salt water saltier than seawater. It's incredible, truly, Like, I really do think that these camels would survive in apocalypse. Yeah, it seems like it. They're there way heartier than they seem because again, there's such like an awkward preacher. I

think that's why they're like so lovable. Is weird looking and they have those dopey faces and this weird body, but you know they're they're more than they look. If you said, like, describe a hardy animal, the last thing I would think of would be a camel, right, describe a hardcore like uh mad max sort of level, you know, just the furious of the animal kingdom. It is a camel. Yeah. It turns out there the Charlie's there on, especially those

lovely eyelashes. Yes, hot, and can survive a post apocalyptic world. What what more could you want? I mean, I don't know, but I mean, despite the fact that these are hardcore survivalists, like I mentioned, they are critically endangered and that's because of you know, human encroachment on their habitat and hunting. So, uh, you know, I am really rooting for these camels though, because it just doesn't seem fair to you know, wipe

them out. Yeah, they can deal with all these crazy elements and even our nuclear bullsh and yeah, and perhaps they shall inherit the earth. You know, that seems like a better earth, Camel earth. I don't know about the tongue thing in the in the spinning, but you know they've they've got some stuff figured out clearly that we don't. They do have a lot of stuff figured out. And I am I for one, welcome the the inflatable mouth

sacks of love that they have. But I do hope for a bright future where we can coexist peacefully with the camels and you know, denuclearize the world, but recamel eze it. Yeah, more camels came, more camels, fewer nukes. That is my that That is the cause I am would be happy to be behind. Yes. So that so Bridget, are you ready to play a little game with me? Always guess well, we're gonna play guests Who's Squawking? The

Mystery Animal sound game? Every week we play a mystery animal sound and you listeners out there and you, my guest, have to give who is squawking? And it can be any animal from a fish to a bird too. I don't know, some kind of snake anything. And the only thing you get is the animal sound animal hint. Because I'm not I'm benevolent. I will give you a hint and you try to guess who was squawking. So last week's hint was this is a redhead with legs for days,

So bridget, can you guess who's making that sound? The redhead is throwing me off? I'm gonna go it just it was wrong. I'm I'm just clinging for anything because I I dude, I'm stumped. Here is it? Is it a hyena? It's a very interesting guess, very very definitely not definitely not, But I'm gonna I mean it's because famously it is a good guess. It's a fair guess. Certain species of hyenas can be pretty leagy, so I don't blame you for that, but this is, in fact

not a hyena. Congratulations to the three fastest guessers, Joey P. Magnus Oh, and Joshua J who all correctly guess that this is the raw bark of a maimed wolf. So mained wolves are not actually wolves, and they are not giant foxes, even though they kind of look like a giant fox. Uh. They are wild canines related to dogs, foxes,

and wolves, but only distantly. They are relatively ancient species of Canad, one of the only large South American canid species that survived the mass extinction of Mega fon around fifteen to thirteen thousand years ago. Ah, look of these guys. Yeah, I was gonna it's gonna go wolf for fox. Oh this is a pretty animal, very pretty. Yeah. No, I

I reached for dog because I thought wolf. But they I thought of a different sound when I thought of wolf, and I should have thought of a different sound when I thought of ya. But but I mean, you were circling it, right, because it is it is confused. You were really circling around it because it is a confusing animal because it kind of looks like a wolf, kind of looks like a fox, has really long legs, actually

has that kind of maine like a hyena does. Although a hyena is not that closely related to the nine species. Hyenas are actually more related to UH mongooses and uh felines. So the main wolf is really really interesting canad So it is omnivorous. Actually it eats both meat and vegetation and almost equal measures, so almost fifty fifty. It loves uh. It loves fruit, and it loves meat. They are particularly fond of a fruit known as the wolf apple or

fruita do lobo in Portuguese. It is a flowering shrub with a green fruit with white, pulpy flesh that they just absolutely love. So I don't know if I'm that kind of cute that they're like they love their wolf apples. Yeah, I love that. I love that it's called a wolf apple. It's just like an apple just for them. Guess who else loves apples? Golden? I mean, that's that would be weird if I was just like, guess who else likes apples? Me love apples. The camels do love apples. I can

see they know my dog. My dog loves apples. Cookie loves apples. She will come running when she here. And I do I like apples. I wouldn't say like I love them. I'm not crazy for them, but I like them. I'll eat them. And but when I do eat them, Cookie just gallops into the room and sits next to me and starts licking her lips because she knows she's about to get some little little bites applepy. That's cute. They're funny when they eat, when they eat crunchy foods.

She loves. Yeah, she loves apples, bell peppers, cucumbers. It's it's pretty easy. Yeah. Yeah, she's kind of like one of these cucumbers. Yeah, dogs love cucumbers. That's our family dog. We we couldn't say no to treats for her, so we transitioned her to cucumbers that you love. Some love it. There's something about the crunchiness, the hydration. They love it. Yeah, give your dog a cucumber, dog, give it a cucumber.

They'll be so happy. So yeah, these main wolves, I think they're one of the most gorgeous canaids in the world. They have these long legs that like have these black socks like they're wearing. It kind of gives me the vibe of like more tissue wearing those that long, long black gloves. Yeah. Yeah, the elegance. Yeah, and like I'm seeing them like midstep and they walk. Yeah, they have a very pretty walk. Yes, very very runway runway walk. Um. They have this fluffy black mane on the nape of

their necks. And they're actually um the tallest wild cane in and around three ft or nineties cimeters tall uh and sixty pounds there on, which is thirty rams. And they live in the grasslands of the Serado, which is a tropical savannah region in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. Yeah, they're they're the largest South American canine. They are actually

not a pack animal. They live mostly solitary lives. Uh. They use this roar bark to warn others of its territory or to communicate with a mate about where it is, where its location is uh. Which it also does the same thing with the YearIn It uses its urine to communicate. But I can't share mained wolf urine over a podcast, so that's why I shared it. I know. Ah, too bad podcasts don't come in smell a vision, because I'd

have some interesting smells for for you folks. Yeah, they're puppies are cute, so cute, and look they're playing with their pups. These guys are good, good animal, good good animal, and good job. I got a lot of of correct guesses out there, and uh so, congratulations guys you. I'm always really impressed that listeners are able to get these. I feel like, even though I make the game, I would not be as good at playing it as a lot of my listeners are. Yeah, it's tricky. I'm impressed. Yes,

thoroughly impressed. I got I got some smart listeners. So uh now onto this week's Mystery animal sound. A hint. You might find these little dudes boogying to an imaginary beat, but it's probably for the prey that lie deep beneath their feet. M So, Bridget, who do you think is squawking? Oh? God? That was? Is it like a heron or something? An intra sting gifts and I will reveal the answer to this week's Mr Animals sound on next week's podcast next Wednesday.

If you out there think you know who is squawking, you can write to me at Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com. You can also find me on Twitter at Creature feet Pod. Uh that's f T, not f ET. That is something very different. You can also find me on Instagram at Creature Feature Pod. Um. I'm also on Twitter at Katie Golden. If you do check out my timeline, you might actually get a little bit of a spoiler for what this week's Mr Animal sound is. So uh we want you may want to check that out or

try to guess it for yourself, whatever you want. Um and uh yeah, Ridget, thank you so much for joining me. And sharing my love for camels. Yeah, yeah, of course, thanks for having me. Where where can the people find you? Uh yeah, you can find me doing podcasts over on the Small Bean's network. Uh. Me and my co host, uh Sarah Griffith are right now going through movie trilogies

on a series called Shooting Freeze. Uh so check that out as we review those and uh all the fun stuff that's going on over at the small Beans Network. You can follow me at bridget Tweets on Twitter. That's normally where I post all my videos that I'm vacant and fun stuff like that, and uh yeah, that's where I'm at thest next and thank you so much for listening. If you're enjoying the podcast and you want me to know about it, if you leave a review or rating,

I would so very much appreciate it. I'll even inflate my mouth sack for you, that's what you want it. Uh, but yeah, I read all the reviews there. It really makes my day when I read a new review. Really appreciate it. And yeah, it does help out the show because it goes into the algorithm and it like tells the algorithm, Hey, look, people are there's buzz about the show. People are talking about it. Uh so yeah, I do do appreciate that. And thanks to the space Colssics for

their super awesome song. X Alumina. Creature features a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts like the one you just heard, visit the I heart Radio app Apple Podcasts, or Hey, guess what listen I'm a lovel with you. Wherever you listen to your shows, I'm not I'm not keeping track. You can do. You can listen to this podcast in any way, shape or form that you want, and no one is going to arrescue, so enjoy that. Uh see you next Wednesday.