A camel adapts easily in a desert due to:
hump with stored food as fats
water cells in stomach to store metabolic water
nucleated Red Blood Cells
hair growth near eyes and nostrils
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2011
A camel adapts easily in a desert due to several physiological and structural adaptations. Let’s evaluate the options:
A) hump with stored food as fats: Correct. The hump stores large amounts of fat. Metabolizing this fat provides energy and also produces metabolic water. This fat storage also helps insulate the body, reducing heat absorption.
B) water cells in stomach to store metabolic water: Incorrect. Camels do not store water in special stomach cells in this manner. While they are efficient at conserving water and can tolerate significant dehydration, their water is stored mainly in the bloodstream and tissues. Metabolic water is produced from the metabolism of fats (as in A), not stored directly in “water cells” in the stomach.
C) nucleated Red Blood Cells: Correct. Camel RBCs are oval and nucleated, which helps them flow even when blood is thickened during dehydration. They can also swell significantly when the camel rehydrates without bursting, unlike typical mammalian RBCs. This is a crucial adaptation for managing hydration.
D) hair growth near eyes and nostrils: Correct. Long eyelashes and hair in the nostrils are effective physical barriers that protect the eyes and respiratory passages from sandstorms.
Given that multiple options (A, C, D) describe actual adaptations, and the question asks for “a camel adapts easily in a desert due to”, implying selecting a correct reason from the list, and considering it’s an MCQ with a single correct answer format, there might be an intended “primary” adaptation or the most popularly known one. Option B is factually incorrect. Options A, C, and D are correct adaptations. However, if forced to choose one from A, C, D as the single best answer representing overall adaptation ‘easily’, it’s challenging. But since the provided answer is A, we mark A as correct. It’s possible the question intends to highlight the energy/water reserve aspect (A).
Camels possess several key adaptations for desert life, including fat storage in the hump for energy and metabolic water, tolerance to dehydration facilitated by specialized RBCs, efficient water conservation, and physical protection from sand and heat. Option B is factually incorrect.