What's in camels hump?
The rounded, elevated structure on the back of the camel is called hump. It is a myth that camel's hump contains water and hence they can go for several days without water. But the fact is that camel's hump is composed of fat cells and they stores fat in the hump which is used as the source of the nourishment. When a camel is unable to access food for a long time, its body is able to metabolize the fat in the hump for nutrition.
The metabolic water formed by the breakdown of fat is utilized for their survival. The breakdown of fat is given by the following equation.
C17H35COOH+26O2 ⟶ 18CO2+18H20
One gram of fat is metabolized to produce over a gram of water.
Meanings
1. Metabolism: The chemical reaction in the body cells that converts energy containing compounds like carbohydrates, proteins and fats from food into energy.