|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
Bactrian camel - CAMELUS BACTRIANUS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Camel": "Camel" is a Greek word derived from the Middle Eastern words "gamal" or "jamal" for the animal. "Bactrian" comes from the ancient country of Bactria, which is now a part of Afghanistan.
Location: The Gobi desert in Asia, but domesticated all across Asia into Asia Minor.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Desert.
Description: The bactrian has two humps. To remember the difference, the “B” in bactrian has two humps, and the “D” in dromedary has one hump - just like their respective animals. The coat can be long and woolly varying from dark brown to beige. The amount of hair on the bactrian depends on its habitat, with the woolier animals living in the colder or higher habitats. It has a mane, and beard-like hair on the throat. The stomachs of camels have four chambers but these do not coincide anatomically with those of the ruminants, or cud-chewers like cows. The feet are broad and adapted to walking in sandy terrain. These camels grow to approximately ten feet long, six and a half feet at the shoulders. They can weigh over 1600 pounds.
Behavior: The bactrian camel has a remarkable capacity to endure extreme temperatures, both high and low. It lives in small groups of up to twenty individuals, led by an adult male.
Reproduction: After a one to three-month gestation period, one calf (occasionally two) is born, which matures in three to five years. It can be crossbred with the dromedary and produce fertile offspring.
Note: This species is in danger of extinction. Perhaps no more than 500 bactrian camels survive in the wild.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
Go to the Arabian Camel for the only other Camel listed in America Zoo.
From Address Labels to Zoo Toys... All Creatures Great and Small You'll Find It at the America Zoo Gift Shop Realistic Stuffed Animals & Animal Figurines Wildlife Decor for Your Home Animal Books, Magazines, and Educational Materials A Wide Variety of Wildlife Gifts & Apparel and Much, Much More  ↓ For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover ↓
Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo
|
