The wild camel (Camelus ferus) is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes
of Central Asia. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to
the single-humped dromedary camel. It belongs to the family Camelids (llamas,
vicuñas, alpacas, guanacos and camels) evolved in North America during the
Eocene Epoch, over 46 million years ago. They differ from all other mammals in
the shape of their red blood cells, which are oval instead of circular.
The two-humped Bactrian camel is smaller and
more slender than its domestic relative, and is superbly adapted to life in the
harsh Gobi Desert. It has a double row of long eyelashes and hairs inside the
ears to protect against damage from sand, and the camel’s long slit-like
nostrils can be closed for further protection during sandstorms. The foot has a
tough undivided sole consisting of two large toes, which spread apart widely
for efficient travel across the shifting desert sands. The camel’s fur, which
is a light brown or beige color, is thick and shaggy during the harsh winters
and is shed rapidly in the spring.
Relative Size
The Bactrian camel is the largest mammal in
its native range and rivals the dromedary as the largest living camel. Shoulder
height is from 180 to 230 cm, head-and-body length is 225–350 cm and the tail
length is 35–55 cm At the top of the humps, the average height is 213 cm. Body
mass can range from 300 to 900 kg with males often being much larger and
heavier than females.
Did You Know
Bactrian camels regularly eat snow to provide their water needs as snow
and ice are the only forms of water during winter. The latent heat of snow and
ice is enormous compared with the heat capacity of water, demanding a large
sacrifice in heat energy and forcing animals to eat only small amounts at a
time.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom
|
Animalia
|
Phylum
|
Chordata
|
Class
|
Mammalia
|
Order
|
Artiodactyla
|
Family
|
Camelidae
|
Genus
|
Camelus
|
Species
|
C. ferus
|
Other Names
English
|
Wild
Camel and Bactrian Camel
|
French
|
Chameau
de Bactriane
|
German
|
Trampeltier
|
Mongolian
|
хавтгайг
|
Spanish
|
Camello
Bactriano
|
Status
The Bactrian camel is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red
List, 2010. The species was first identifies as Vulnerable in 1986 and Endangered
by 1996 before classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by 2002, 2007 and 2008.
The species is also listed on Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species
(CMS or the Bonn Convention)
Population
The domesticated population exceeds over two million whereas the wild
population dwindle approximately 600 individuals surviving in China and 350 in
Mongolia.
Habitat
The
camels are migratory, and their habitat ranges from rocky mountain massifs to
flat arid desert, stony planes and sand dunes. Historically the habitat
extended from about the great bend of the Yellow River, across the deserts of
southern Mongolia and northwestern China to central Kazakhstan.
Range
The species has
suffered a drastic reduction in its range. It now occurs only in three
separated habitats in northwest China (Lake Lob, Taklimikan desert and the
ranges of Arjin Shan) and one in the Trans-Altai Gobi desert of southwest
Mongolia. The largest population lives in the Gashun Gobi (Lop Nur) Desert in
Xinjiang Province, China, which was for 45 years used as a test site for
nuclear weapons. The camels’ distribution is linked to the availability of
water, with large groups congregating near rivers after rain or at the foot of
the mountains, where water can be obtained from springs in the summer months,
and in the form of snow during the winter.
Biology
Bactrian
camels are extremely adept at withstanding wide variations in temperature -
from freezing cold to blistering heat.
They have a remarkable ability to go without water for months at a time,
but when water is available they may drink up to 57 liters at once. To conserve
water, camels produce dry faeces and little urine and allow their body
temperature to fluctuate, therefore reducing the need to sweat. If no fresh
water is available, the species can drink salty or brackish water with no ill
effects (camels are the only land mammals adapted for this).
Wild Bactrian camels are highly migratory, and
herds will travel vast distances in search of food and water sources. Herds of
up to 100 individuals may gather in the autumn at the beginning of the rutting
season, usually in the more mountainous regions where there is a greater
availability of water. Wild camels are diurnal, sleeping at night in open
spaces and foraging for food during the day. Shrubs and grass form the bulk of
the diet, with the animals being well adapted to feed on thorns, dries
vegetation and salty plants, which other herbivores avoid.
Breeding usually occurs in winter, often
overlapping with the rainy season. Males during this time are often quite
violent and may bite, spit, or attempt to sit on other male camels. The age of
sexual maturity varies, but is usually reached at 3 to 5 years. The Gestation
lasts around 13 months, with most young being born from March through April. Females
give birth to their first calf at around 5 years of age and the inter birth
interval is usually at least 2 years. The young ones are nursed for about 1.5
years. The young calf stays with its mother for three to five years, until it
reaches sexual maturity. Wild camels are thought to live up to 40 years of age.
Predators
The only extant predators that regularly
target wild Bactrian camels are gray wolves, which have been seen to pursue
weaker and weather-battered camels as they try to reach oases. Due to
increasingly dry conditions in the species' range, the numbers of cases of wolf
predation on wild camels at oases has reportedly increased. Historically, the
Caspian tiger was also known to predate wild Bactrian camels before its extinction.
Threats
Habitat
loss has been high to development for mining and industrial complexes. Due to
increasing human populations, wild camels are forced to share food and water
sources with introduced domestic stock and are thus sometimes shot by farmers.
The domesticated Bactrians, freely mate with wild individual and led to a
concern of a loss of genetically distinct wild Bactrian camel. Wild Bactrian
camels have been heavily hunted for their meat and hide over the centuries and
further habitat loss has occurred with the development of a gas pipe-line in
the north of the reserve and highly toxic illegal mining activities.
Conservation Measures
Areas
of the Gobi and Gashun Gobi desert (Lop Nur), where the Bactrian camel remain,
are protected by the Great Gobi Reserve in Mongolia which was established in
1982, and by the national reserve ‘Lop Nur Wild Camel Reserve’ in China which
was established in 2000. The Wild Camel Protection Foundation (WCPF) aims to
increase the population of the species through captive breeding. In 2003 it
established a sanctuary in Zakhyn-Us, Mongolia, which has some of the last non-hybridized
herds of Bactrian camels.
References
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