Facts and Knowledge:
The Bactrian camel is the only truly wild,
two humped camel in the world. It lives in the Gobi Desert and, like
one humped camel, it can go for long periods without water. the Bactrian camel
is named after the part of the region it inhabits, Bactrian, on the Afghan
Soviet border. the first camels appeared in North America 40 - 50 million
years ago, descended from an animal the size of a small dog. They
migrated to Europe and Asia two million years ago and became nearly extinct
in their original habitat.
Breeding: In the wild, Bactrian
camels mate in February. The males chase off young animals in order to have
success to the females. Mating takes place while the camels are sitting
down, but the females give birth in the standing position a year and a month
later. A single young is born. Within several days, it can walk
perfectly with the ambling gait that is characteristic of the adult camel.
The females nurse the young for 5 years
until they reach sexual maturity. Young males are then driven out to
form bachelor herds; young females remain with their mothers. Older
wales return to the herd during mating season but are often driven out by
younger, rival males.
Food & Feeding: The Like domestic
cows, camels are ruminants, that is, they feed and then regurgitate the food
and chew it again. This is also called chewing cud. able to survive
on extremely sparse vegetation, they eat the tough grass, herbs, thin branches,
and foliage of scrubs that grow in their arid environment. They search
for food in t he morning and evenings and chew their cud in the afternoon.
The camel can tolerate great variations
in its body temperature, from 86º F to 105º F, and therefore loses
little water through camels can go for long periods without water., they
do not actually store it in their humps. The humps are, in fact, reserves
of fat that are converted into water when the camel becomes dehydrated.
Camel & Man: It
is thought that the Bactrian camel was domesticated by man as early as 2,000
BC it is presumed to be a descendant of the feral camel. At the end
of the nineteenth century, Bactrian camels were discovered in the Lobnor
Desert in China by the Russian Explorer, Nikolai Przewalski's, and it was
established that, in its natural state, the Bactrian camel is truly a wild,
rather than domesticated, animal. The camel is also an important source of
wool, milk, meat, and fuel in the desert..
Habitat:: Once found over a vast
range in Asia, Bactrian camels now inhabit only Mongolia's remote Gobi Desert.
they are specially adapted to cope with the extremes of climate found in this
regions. They form small groups of six to twenty animals that are led
by a mature male. Young males spend most of their time wandering alone.
Within their habitat, the camels may be found in desert, semi desert, grassy
steppes and mountainous regions up to 6,500 feet. In the summer, they
are most likely to be found in dry valleys and on nearby hills. During
the winter, they frequent dried up creek and stream beds and oases.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding,
lifestyle, related Species
Height to shoulder: 6 ft
Height to hump : Up to 7 ft.
Weight : Up to 7 ft
Length: 11 - 12 ft, including
tail (21 - 25 foot long)
Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 5 years
Gestation: About 13 months
No of young: 1 calf
Breeding season: July - September
Mating: February
Lifestyle:
Diet: Grasses nd shrubs.
Life span: Longest recorded, 50 years.
Habit: Females live in small herds
with 1 male. Other males solitary.
Call: Low grunts.
Related Species: The one humped
camel, Camels dromedaries. Camellia is the only family in the suborder Tylopoda.
Distribution: In its wild state, it
is found only in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. In a domesticated form, it
is also found in Afghanistan, Turkey, the Solviet Union, and China.
Conservation: There are thought to
be less than 1,000 wild camels living in the obi Desert. It is now considered
an endangered species.
Special Adaptations of the Bactrian
Camel:
Humps: Two conical shaped. These
store food and water reserves stored as fat.
Nostrils: can be closed in a sandstorms.
Legs: Comparatively short for walking
on hilly rocky ground.
Fleece: Thick, woolly fleece
to combat cold in winter and reduce perspiration. Kept in summer
to act as protection against sun.
Eyelashes: long, in double rows to
protect eyes from windblown dust and sand.
Feet: Soles have thick, elastic pads
which expand to distribute animals weigh. They help to support camel
in soft sand.
Did you know:
A Bactrian camel can drink quantities up
to 30 percent of its body weight at one time.
In the desert, without water, a camel can
survive up to the times as long as a human and four times as long as a donkey.
Camels do not like wet conditions, but they
can tolerate variations in temperature ranging from -16º f to 120ºF.
Males, females, and young camels are known
respectively as stallions, mares and calves.
In 1860, fifteen Bactrian camels were
imported to the United States to haul salt across 200 miles of desert.
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