Bactrian Camel

Bactrian Camel

Description

A large, even-toed ungulate instantly recognisable by the two prominent humps on its back, which store fat rather than water. It reaches up to 2.3 m at the shoulder and weighs 450-650 kg, and its thick woolly coat protects it from both bitter cold and searing heat before being shed in ragged clumps each summer. Long legs and broad, cushioned pads let it walk easily across sand and snow alike.

Habitat

The Bactrian camel is native to the semi-deserts and steppes of Central Asia, ranging historically from Kazakhstan and Mongolia to north-western China, including the Gobi Desert. It is well adapted to a harsh continental climate with extreme temperature swings.

Diet

A herbivorous grazer and browser, it feeds on grasses and tough, dry vegetation, and can cope with prickly, bitter or salty plants that other animals avoid.

Reproduction

Gestation lasts about 13 months, after which the female usually gives birth to a single calf. The young camel suckles for up to 1.5 years before becoming fully independent.

Lifespan

Bactrian camels typically live around 30 to 40 years.

Did you know?

A Bactrian camel can lose 25-30% of its body water without coming to harm, then rehydrate rapidly by drinking a huge amount at once - an adaptation that lets it survive in arid deserts.