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Bactrian Camel
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Mammals |
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Africa |
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- |
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Camelidae |
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600 to 1000 K.G |
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Deserts, mountains, steppes |
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Grass, Leaves |
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8 months |
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1 |
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Lions, leopards, crocodiles |
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Abundant |
Camels
live in deserts where temperatures can go down to -25°C at night.
The Bactrian Camel has a long neck and two humps on its back. The colour of its
fur can vary from pale to dark brown. This mammal is well adapted to live in
rugged mountains known as “cold deserts”. Its back is covered with thick wool, a
fat reserve inside its humps and an excellent capacity to retain water. The body
length can measure up to three metres long (9 feet) and it can be up to 1.8 to
2.3 metres (about 6 feet) at the withers. An adult can weigh up to 600 to 1,000
kg (1,320 to 2,200 lbs) and can live up to 40 years. It can tolerates a maximum
temperature of +50°C in summer and –30°C in winter. The Bactrian Camel is widely
distributed in Central Asia. The rare individuals still in the wild are only
found in the Gobi Desert. This herbivore feeds mostly on grass and leaves from a
wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs. In nature, camels are gregarious
animals and the groups are usually made up of one male, many females and their
young. A female usually gives birth to only one young after a gestation period
of 12 to 14 months. An adult has almost no predators. Camels were domesticated
for their strength, milk, fur and skin. It was a favourite means of
transportation used to cross deserts and mountainous regions. The wild Bactrian
Camel is an endangered species.