Bactrian camel
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The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of eastern Asia. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the Dromedary which has one.
Nearly all of the estimated 1.4 million Bactrian camels alive today are domesticated, but in October 2002 the estimated 950 remaining in the wild in northwest China and Mongolia were placed on the critically endangered species list.
Appearance and habitat
Bactrian camels are over 2 meters (7 feet) tall at the hump and weigh in excess of 725 kg (1,600 pounds). They are herbivores, eating grass, leaves, and grains, capable of drinking up to 120 litres (32 US gallons) of water at a time. Their mouth is extremely tough, allowing them to eat thorny desert plants.
They are supremely adapted to protect themselves against the desert heat and sand; with wide, padded feet and thick leathery pads on the knees and chest, nostrils that can open and close, ears lined with protective hairs, and bushy eyebrows with two rows of long eyelashes. Thick fur and underwool keep the animal warm during cold desert nights and also insulate against daytime heat.
The Dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is the only other surviving camel species, native to the Sahara desert, but today is extinct in the wild. By comparison the Bactrian camel is a stockier, hardier animal being able to survive the scorching desert heat of northern Iran to the frozen winters in Tibet [1]. The Dromedary is taller and faster, and with a rider it can maintain 8-9 mph for hours at a time. By comparison a loaded Bactrian camel moves at about 2.5 mph [2].
History
It is thought that the Bactrian camel was domesticated (independently from the Dromedary) sometime before 2500 B.C., probably in northern Iran or southwestern Turkestan. The Dromedary is believed to have been domesticated around 4000 B.C. in Arabia.
Subspecies
There is some evidence that the Bactrian camel can be divided up into different subspecies. In particular, it has been discovered that a population of wild Bactrian camel lives within a part of the Gashun Gobi region of the Gobi Desert. This population is distinct from domesticated herds both in genetic makeup and in behavior. However, the significance of those differences has not yet been firmly demonstrated and may not be definitively resolvable.
There are possibly as many as three regions in the genetic makeup that are distinctly different from domesticated camels and there is up to a 3% difference in the base genetic code. However, with so few wild camels, it is unclear what the natural genetic diversity within a population would have been.
Another remarkable difference is in the ability of these wild camels to drink salt-water slush, although it is not yet certain the camel can extract useful water from it. Domesticated camels do not attempt to drink salt water - whether this is because they are domesticated or because they can't does not appear to have been studied at this time.
External links
- National Geographic - Wild Bactrian Camels Critically Endangered
- Wild Camel Protection Foundation
- BBC - Discovery of camels in the Gashun Gobi region
Notes
- ^ "Creature Features - Pet Facts: Camels". December 5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ "Camel". December 5.
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