1. How Wide Is the Camel's Diet?
When people say camels "eat anything," they mean the camel’s diet is very broad. One-humped camels are reported to eat thorny bushes, plants growing in high-salt areas, and aromatic plants that other livestock usually reject [1]. The San Diego Zoo explains that camels have even been observed eating fish [2]. But remember, this is not their usual food. It is safer to think of this as an occasional event rather than a regular habit.
Still, how does a camel put thorny plants into its mouth? The first answer is found at the very front of the camel’s face.
2. How the Camel's Split Upper Lip Grabs Thorny Plants
Camel lips are tough but flexible. They allow the camel to pull apart and eat thorny or salty plants [2]. Another key feature is that the upper lip is split in two. The left and right halves can move independently [2]. Imagine using your right and left hands to pick up different things at the same time. If the two sides of the lip move separately, it becomes easier to grab short grass growing close to the ground.
However, we do not fully understand all the reasons why the camel’s mouth is protected from thorns. It is best to view the lips as only part of the answer. Also, what is the camel actually grabbing with its lips? Is it just grass?
3. Why Camels Eat Leaves and Shrubs, Not Just Grass
One-humped camels are considered "browsers," meaning they eat leaves from shrubs and trees, not just grass [1]. A study in central Somalia found that 47 types of fodder plants made up 94% of the diet during the dry season and 90% during the wet season [1]. It is easy to mix up the order, but the percentage is higher in the dry season. This means that when rain is scarce, camels focus on a specific set of plants. During this time, they also spend more time picking leaves.
This is an example from one region, so it may not apply to all camels. Still, it gives us a clue that a "broad" diet is actually a careful selection of dozens of plant types. But shrubs and leaves are not always rich in nutrients. How does the camel stay healthy eating low-nutrition food?
4. How Chewing Cud Helps Camels Break Down Food
Camels practice "rumination," which means they bring swallowed food back to the mouth to chew it again. This is a way of breaking food into small pieces over time [3]. Cows are the most well-known animals that ruminate. A cow’s stomach has four chambers, but a camel’s stomach is usually described as having three chambers, with the distinction between the third and fourth being unclear [3]. Since different sources count the chambers differently, it is best to remember that they are "usually said to have three."
Camels use their lips to handle thorns and salt, and they chew their food slowly. This is what happens on days when food is available. But what do they do when they cannot find food for many days?
5. Why the Camel's Hump Stores Fat for Hungry Days
The inside of a camel’s hump is not water; it is fat. This fat serves as an energy source when food cannot be found [2]. Even if a camel eats thorny grass and chews cud, there are days when no food is available. You can think of the fat in the hump as a bank account the camel carries around. If food is scarce for a long time, the fat in the hump is used up, and the hump may start to droop [2].
For more details on why the hump is not water and how it relates to body temperature, see articles specifically about camel humps. After food, the next biggest problem is water. What does a camel do when it finds water?
6. How Fast Camels Drink and Why Wild Camels Can Drink Salt Water
When camels find water, they drink a lot in a short time. The Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai states that camels can drink 100 liters in 10 minutes [5]. If you calculate this, it is 10 liters per minute. That is like drinking five 2-liter bottles every minute, or 50 bottles in 10 minutes. However, some sources say the maximum amount is about 145 liters at one time [2]. The amount varies depending on the conditions and the source. It is better to accept that "they can drink around 100 liters in 10 minutes" rather than picking one specific number.
Another interesting point is about wild Bactrian camels. It is said that they sometimes drink water that is saltier than seawater. Domestic Bactrian camels cannot tolerate that level of salt [4]. How wild camels absorb and remove this salt has not been settled by research so far [4].
Camels grab thorns with their lips, chew cud to break down food, use hump fat to survive hungry days, and drink quickly when water is found. The camel’s diet is made up of many clever adaptations for living in areas with little food.
7. Try It Yourself: Imagine Camel Drinking with Bottles and Visit a Zoo
Today, you can try this: hold one 2-liter bottle and imagine that 50 of these bottles represent the water a camel might drink in 10 minutes. Just imagining how many bottles you would need to line up in your kitchen can help you understand the volume.
If you visit a zoo, look at a camel eating. Check if the lips really move left and right separately, and look at how firm the hump is. Always watch from the designated viewing areas and follow the zoo’s rules about feeding.
The numbers in this article varied between sources. Noticing that "the numbers are different depending on the source" is a good starting point for learning how to research.