Camels (November 21)

Have you considered the camel’s ability to go days without water, suffer extreme dehydration, and then drink up to 40 gallons at one time? It’s all in their red blood cell design.

Camels have red blood cells that are shaped flat, oval, and much smaller than human red blood cells. Human red blood cells are round. When humans become dehydrated, our blood becomes “sluggish” as the blood cells get stuck; a 5% water loss can result in serious medical problems. For humans, a 12 % water loss can result in death by dehydration; but not so for a camel, with its smaller, flatter, oval-shaped red blood cells. Even as the camel’s water level drops, its blood just keeps ‘a flowin’. A camel can lose up to 40 % of its water and still survive.

The camel also has an enormous ability to store water in its body. Some camels have been documented to drink 40 gallons at one time. If we drink too much water at one sitting (~ ½ gallon or 2 ½ liters), our red blood cells start to swell and can actually burst. The camel’s red blood cells are able to expand up to 240% without rupturing while most animals’ red blood cells are only able to expand up to 150%. How did the camel know it needed to have this type of red blood cell to survive harsh conditions? How would this cell evolve? The red blood cells of a camel were obviously designed by God in order for the camel to survive and thrive in dry desert environments.

Isaiah 43:20

KJV: The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

NIV: The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,

Reference

Dromedary Camel

Blood Cells protect from Dehydration: Dromedary Camel

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Camels

The camel—a drought-defying marvel of design