Contrary to popular belief, camels do not store water in their humps. Instead, they store fatty tissue, which is used as a source of nourishment when food is scarce. The humps can store up to 80 pounds of fat in one hump, and the size of the hump changes depending on how much food the camel eats. When a camel is unable to access food for a long period of time, its body is able to metabolize the fat in the humps for nutrition. The humps can deflate and droop if the camel has gone a particularly long time without food, but they will sit upright again once the camel is able to refuel. The camel’s humps also help the animal regulate its body temperature, an important feature in the desert, where temperatures can be extremely high during the day and drop drastically at night. By concentrating fatty tissue in humps on their backs, camels are able to minimize heat insulation throughout the rest of their body during the day when the temperature is high, and their body temperature rises.