Q 01/05

What does a camel actually store in its hump?

A) Fat

B) Water

C) Muscle

D) Bone marrow

Answer · why

A) Fat

Fat: the hump is an energy store, and as a hungry camel burns through it the hump shrinks and can flop over to one side until the animal feeds again.

Q 02/05

Camels can close which part of the body to keep out blowing sand?

A) Their ears

B) Their nostrils

C) Their tear ducts

D) Their throats

Answer · why

B) Their nostrils

Their nostrils: a camel pinches them shut at the onset of a sandstorm, while a double row of long eyelashes keeps the grit out of its eyes.

Q 03/05

Camelopard, an old English name combining camel and leopard, referred to which animal?

A) Giraffe

B) Cheetah

C) Okapi

D) Zebra

Answer · why

A) Giraffe

Giraffe: to the ancient Greeks it looked like a camel wearing a leopard's spots, a label that lives on in the species name camelopardalis.

Q 04/05

When a camel 'spits' at something that bothers it, what is it mostly throwing?

A) Nasal mucus

B) Stored water

C) Dust and grit

D) Stomach contents

Answer · why

D) Stomach contents

Stomach contents: the camel brings up part of its last meal and hurls it out along with saliva, a defence meant to startle or distract whatever is thr...

Q 05/05

Roughly how much water can a thirsty dromedary drink in one go?

A) About 15 litres

B) About 45 litres

C) About 140 litres

D) About 420 litres

Answer · why

C) About 140 litres

About 140 litres: a camel can lose a quarter or more of its body weight to dehydration, then make up the loss in a single drinking session lasting aro...