Facts and Features of Bactrian Camel

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Camelidae

Genus: Camelus

Scientific Name: Camelus bactrianus

Type: Mammal

Diet: herbivore

Size (H): 1.7 m - 2.1 m (5.5 ft - 7 ft)

Weight: 600kg - 816kg (1325-1800 lbs)

Maximum speed: 64 kmh (40 mph)

Life Time: 35 - 50 years

Lifestyle: Herd

Conservation Status: Endangered

Color: Brown, Tan

Skin Type:Fur

Favourite food: Grass

Habitat: Deserts near water

Average Litter Size: 1

Main Diet: Seeds, Grass, thorny bush

Attackers: Human, Tiger, lizards

Special features: thick skin and two humps

The Bactrian camel is best known for being the kind of camel with two humps.There are only two surviving species of camel remaining i.e Middle East single hump camels and Bactrian (double hump ) camel from northern Asia.

There are believed to be more than a million domesticated Bactrian camels around the world not only in Asia but also parts of Africa and the Middle East.Camels have been domesticated for about 2,000 years, both for pulling / carrying heavy loads,but also for the transport of people and goods.

Like the single humped camel ,the Bactrian camel is able to survive on its own reserves of water for long periods of time which means it can move long desert plains and mountain ranges without the need to stop.Today the Bactrian camel is considered an endangered species,with fewer than 1,000 Bactrian camels are thought to live in parts of China and Mongolia.

The Bactrian camel humps work the same way as the Arab camel humps ,Bactrian camels with humps uses for fat storage which can be converted into water and energy when the Bactrian camel finds short of  food and water. Bactrian camels humps gives them their legendary ability to travel long periods without water, even in harsh desert conditions.As the fat in Bactrian camel humps are used ,Bactrian camels humps become floppy and flabby.The Bactrian camel is one of the most adaptable animals in the world which is able to with stand temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius in summer and -30 degrees Celsius in winter.

Bactrian camels have developed special adaptations which allows it to survive in an unstable environment. The Bactrian camel has a thick and saggy coat that protects the Bactrian camel in the winter and the coat fades as the seasons change and the temperature rises to allow Bactrian camel to keep cool in the summer season.