Is there water inside a camel's hump?
Let me tell you what is inside the hump in 30 seconds.A camel's hump is not filled with water. It is mostly fat. When food is scarce, the camel uses this fat for energy. Camels can go a long time without drinking not because of the hump, but because their bodies are good at keeping water in and can cope even when their water runs low.
The hump is fat
A camel's hump is made up mostly of fat. When the camel goes day after day without finding food, its body breaks down the fat in the hump for nourishment. So when food stays scarce for a long time, the hump gets smaller and flops over to one side as it shrinks. Once the camel eats well again, the hump returns to its usual shape.
Can't the fat make water?
Breaking down fat in the body also makes water, so it is tempting to think the hump could stand in for water. But breaking down fat needs oxygen, and breathing a lot lets water escape in the breath you breathe out. That is why the fat in the hump is explained as being no use as a store of water.
A body that keeps water in
Camels have many ways of keeping water from leaving their bodies. Their urine is very concentrated, and their droppings are very dry. The inside of the nose cools the breath going out and recovers its moisture. On top of that, during the day they put up with their body temperature rising above 40℃ instead of using water to sweat, and they let the heat out during the cool night.
The figures follow the same explanations as the article, from the Natural History Museum in London and Lund University.
Drinking it all back at once
Camels are said to keep walking even after losing water equal to 30–40% of their body weight. That is an amount most other mammals could not survive. When they find water, they can drink as much as 145 liters at once. But they are not storing that water. They are getting back what they have lost.
Want to know more?
- The dromedary camel has 1 hump, and the Bactrian camel has 2. In both, the humps are filled with fat.
- Because camels gather their fat in the hump on their back, the rest of the body is thought to give off heat more easily.
- Camels are said to be able to go more than a week without drinking water, and to live for several months without food.
Quick quiz: test yourself
What is a camel's hump mostly made of?
Show the answer
- Fat
- Water
- Muscle
Fat The hump is mostly fat, which the camel uses for energy when food is scarce. It does not store water.
The hump is mostly fat, which the camel uses for energy when food is scarce. It does not store water.
Next quiz ›Sources
- How do camels survive in deserts?Natural History Museum（ロンドン自然史博物館）
- CamelSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- What secrets lie within the camel's hump?Lund University（ルンド大学）
This article was written after checking the sources above as of 2026-10-03. Explanations may change as research progresses. Photo credits are shown below each photo.
