Camels

There are two types of camels: dromedaries (one hump that live in the hot deserts) and the bactrians (two humped that live in Asia).

Camels are mentioned 63 times in the biblical text. They can live for about 45 years! They can go without water for up to ten days—the water is stored in the cells of their bodies. They store fat in their humps. A camel with a prominent hump is a well–fed and healthy camel.

They can carry up to 400 lbs. [180 kg.] of cargo and do not need to travel on roads.

Their hair is used to make garments (see Mark 1:6, etc.) and to make cloth for rugs and tents. Their milk can be drunk and in some cases, when there were basically one-way caravans—for example those bearing spices from southern Arabia to the ports on the Mediterranean Sea (like Gaza) the trip was one way—the camels were slaughtered for food at the end of their journey.

Camels need 8–10 gals. [30–40 l.] of water every day and drink up to 25 gals. [100 l.] in 10 minutes! If necessary they can go for 8 to 10 days without water, but it is preferable to water them every day.