The Naming of the Camel

In Sanskrit, this pose is called Ustrasana. The term is derived from the Sanskrit words ustra, meaning "camel," and asana, which means "posture" or "seat." The posture's English name is simply "camel pose." Several hypotheses exist to explain the comparison of this particular posture to the camel. Among these is the idea that the pose literally requires the student/yogi to assume the shape of the camel's distinctive hump. Another draws a parallel between the similarly difficult situations of both the posture and the animal: Ustrasana is regarded as a fairly difficult pose due to the relative scarcity of back bending in everyday life, while the desert home of camels is known to be one of the most inhospitable on Earth.

References:
1) "Wikipedia," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustrasana, meanings of Sanskrit terms
2) "Wikipedia," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel, photo
3) "Peter Sterios," http://www.petersterios.com/instruction.html?s=articles&article=ustrasana, comparison of posture to camels