What Do Camels Eat

Camels are animals well known for their distinctive humps. But what do camels eat? This post will answer that question, and also look at some interesting facts about camels.

What do camels eat?

The food that camels eat depend on whether they are domesticated, feral or living in zoos. In the wild, camels will eat just about anything as it is very hard to find food. They eat plants, dried leaves, seeds, bones, fish meat and even leather! Domesticated camels (those raised by people) are usually fed dates, grass, wheat and oats. In zoos, camels are fed hay and dry grass- about 3.5 kilograms of food everyday!

Interesting facts about camels

• Camels can go for a long time without food and water, which is how they survive in deserts!
• While they don’t do it very often, camels can swim.
• Camels have very wide feet which stop them sinking into the sand.
• Camels do not store water in their humps. It is actually fatty tissue!
• There are about 700,000 feral camels living in Australia. The population is growing quite rapidly, at 11% per year!
• The dromedary (also called the Arabian camel) is well known for its low-fat (and very healthy) milk!
• Camels are native to dry deserts in western, central and east Asia.

Source: The Life of a Camel