Camel Market | Souq Waqif | Doha | Qatar.

Camels are known as the ‘ships of the desert’ because of the way they walk which is a lot like the way a ship moves through the water. They are able to move the front and back legs of the same side at once and then repeat the same thing on the other side. This is what gives camels their swaying motion, and if you are riding one, it may make you motion sick.

2. A very interesting fact is that the world ‘camel’ is actually derived from the Arabic word ‘jamal’, which is translated as ‘beauty’!

3. Camels can survive in very harsh climates and environments, a feat very few animals can claim and are biologically adapted for desert life.

4. Camels can live to be about 50-years-old.

5. Camels can weigh up to approximately 680 kilograms.

6. The tallest camels may reach to a height of just over 7 feet.

7. Camels can run up to 65 kilometres an hour but not for very long; at 40 kilometres, they can travel for longer periods of time.

8. Camels are omnivores; they eat meat, vegetation and even bones.

10. While Asian camels are known for their two humps, Arabian camels have just one. It is believed that the hump stores water, but that is not true. The hump stores fat and if food is scarce, nourishment is provided by the hump. The hump also blocks the sun’s harsh summer rays from affecting the rest of the camel’s body.