And I do not care about you, or Why does a camel spit?

Everyone who has been to the zoo, to the aviary with camels comes with extreme caution - to be spat on humpbacked artiodactyls do not want anyone. Therefore, in order to dispel fears and not turn a pleasant encounter with a sweet animal into an incident, it is necessary to understand why a camel spits and whether a person can become its potential "target".

Saliva as a weapon and a method of self-defense

A camel is far from a stupid animal, and to waste precious saliva in the harsh climatic conditions of residence, spitting on "nothing to do" to the right and left, the animal will not. After all, in the desert, where water is worth its weight in gold, the loss of saliva will mean the loss of your own accumulated fluid. The answer to the question of why the camel spits is, in fact, quite simple. In the fight for the female during the mating games, all possible ways to neutralize and defeat the opponent go: hooves, pushing by the chest, bites with a massive jaw and, in particular, spitting viscous and fetid saliva.

The consistency of this liquid resembles a chewing gum. And often a camel uses it as a self-defense against predators. To avoid the sad consequences, when a predator hits the field of view of a cloven-hoofed animal, a good portion of camel's saliva is sent directly into the eye of the first for the purpose of glare. The humpbacked animal in this case takes advantage in time and can immobilize a predator. To this end, it grabs its powerful jaw of the "spitfire" enemy, trying to clear the snout from saliva and restore sight, and toss them 2-3 meters above the ground. And the already landing animal pushes its massive body to the ground, to get out from under which the predator has virtually no chance.

The use of saliva in such cases is a completely logical action on the part of the ruminant herbivore - the animal is driven by the principle of survival, and he simply does not want to be killed. But why a camel is spitting on people is not always clear.

Is digestion guilty?

In fact, a person who behaves absolutely calmly next to this animal, get a spit from it can only purely by accident. There is an opinion that he shows his "disregard" attitude because of the peculiarities of his digestion. In the process of chewing, a large amount of saliva accumulates in the mouth of a cloven-hoofed moth, from which the camel can be rid of excess, only by spitting it out. And if at that moment a man appeared nearby, then he could become an involuntary target.

Splash from resentment

Another version of the answer to the question about why a camel spits in innocuous for him at first glance people - from resentment. Aggressive behavior in relation to the animal, for example, throwing sticks or stones in his direction, can be regarded as a camel attack. And the only affordable way to protect for these animals is just the use of unpleasant and fetid saliva. The same situation can be observed when trying to scare, tease or make grimaces to an animal - it will necessarily "take revenge". Therefore, being next to him, it is worth remembering why a camel spits into people and enemies, and it is highly recommended not to offend an animal.