Rabbit-sized Camel

The earliest known camel was the rabbit-sized Camel (Protylopus), 45 million years ago. This was a forest-dweller, similar in appearance and lifestyle to modern duikers and chevrotains. It had four-toed feet with hoofed, unguligrade toes that is, they walked on the very tips of their toes. The hindlimbs were longer than the front limbs for quick acceleration and brief bursts of speed through the forest undergrowth. Lower limb bones show the beginnings of elongation and weight reduction for more efficient running, with the radius and ulna of older individuals completely fusing over time.  Protylopus that fed on tender leaves, fruits, and possibly invertebrates. Lived in North America during the Eocene. It was about the size of a RABBIT and lived in the open woodlands of what is now South Dakota. By 35 million years ago, the Poebrotherium was the size of a goat and had many more traits similar to camels and llamas. 

At Present Camels originally evolved from the animal ‘protylopus’. Eventually they found their way into Asia where they now thrive in the millions. Their unique biological functions and structure makes them well adapted to dry desert areas and are often called ‘the ship of the desert’. Camels belong to the family camelidae and are closely related to other animals in this family such as llamas and alpacas. Depending on the species of the animal, camels can have either one hump or two. They are found mainly in the desert regions of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

The biology of Camels

 The average adult camel is 7 feet tall; the humps add a foot or so to the height. A running camel can reach speeds of up to 65 kmph, which is why the camel racing sport is so popular. For the following reasons, the camel has often been termed 'the ship of the desert'.

The most striking feature of a camel is – you guessed it – its hump. These are located on the animal's back and while popularly believed to store water, the humps are actually made up of fatty tissue. This keeps the fat, and hence heat away from the rest of the body, helping the camel deal with the harsh desert temperature. This tissue (when converted by the oxygen acquired through breathing) helps provide the camel with energy. Camels can survive for very long periods without drinking water. At one go, they can consume up to 150 litres of water! This seemingly unbelievable feat is made possible through the size of the animals' red blood cells, which unlike any other mammal, are oval and not round. These strong cells allow for the storage of such a tremendous amount of water without bursting. When the animals breathe, the water that would be lost into the air is directed back into the body with the help of the camel's nostrils.

Easily Survive

Camels can withstand gruelling temperatures – up to 41 °C in the daytime and 34 °C at night. As a result, the animals rarely sweat, which means less water loss.The eyelashes of the camel are longer than found in other animals and served to protect the eyes from the blowing sand. The nostrils can also close for the same purpose. Camel legs are long so that their bodies are not close to the hot desert sand. Even the hide or skin of the animal protects it from the sand.Since camels live in deserts, their mouths have become adapted to eating cacti and thorny bushes. Camels have a single toe and wider feet than most other animals which makes walking on sand a lot easier for them. Their style of walking also keeps them from sinking into the sand with every step they take.

Camel's milk may treat Aids, cancer

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation that is working on a project to produce recombinant RNA from antibodies found in camel's milk to treat several diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and hepatitis C, apart from Aids, plans to approach American and European pharmacological organisations.Microbial diseases including leptospirosis, glanders, epizootic ulcertaive syndrome, lymphangitis, mastitis, pasteurellosis, paratuberculosis, tetanus, botulism, gas gangrene clostridia, the plague and the rickettsias also appear to be of very minor importance to the camel in comparison to other domestic animals.The relatively low molecular weight of the camel's heavy chain antibodies and certainly the recombinant VHH derived from these heavy chain antibodies, confer a big advantage here compared to common human antibodies.The camel antibodies have the same antigen affinity as normal antibodies consisting of light and heavy chains, but are much smaller. Moreover, the comparative simplicity, high affinity and specificity and the potential to reach and interact with active sites, camel's heavy chain antibodies present advantages over common antibodies in the design, production and application of clinically valuable compounds.Two years will be needed to prove curative effectiveness of drugs generated from camel milk on human beings said Arab scientists.The experimental phase of any drugs takes between eight and 10 years,To guarantee a 100 per cent curative effectiveness and clearance from side effects.