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Bactrian Camel

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Bactrian camel



 
 
The Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate
Even-toed ungulate

The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla, the group that contains the pigs, peccary, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains , deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle....
 native to the steppe
Steppe

In physical geography, a steppe , pronounced , is a grassland plain without trees . The prairie can be considered a steppe. It may be semi-desert, or covered with Poaceae or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude....
s of north eastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. It is one of the two surviving species of camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
. The Bactrian Camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped Dromedary Camel
Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
.

Nearly all of the estimated 1.4 million Bactrian Camels alive today are domesticated
Domestication

Domestication or taming refers to the process whereby a population of living things becomes accustomed to a controlled environment by other plants or animals through a process of Selective breeding....
, but in October 2002 the estimated 950 remaining in the wild in northwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Mongolia
Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west....
 were placed on the critically endangered species
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
 list.






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Encyclopedia


The Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate
Even-toed ungulate

The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla, the group that contains the pigs, peccary, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains , deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle....
 native to the steppe
Steppe

In physical geography, a steppe , pronounced , is a grassland plain without trees . The prairie can be considered a steppe. It may be semi-desert, or covered with Poaceae or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude....
s of north eastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. It is one of the two surviving species of camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
. The Bactrian Camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped Dromedary Camel
Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
.

Nearly all of the estimated 1.4 million Bactrian Camels alive today are domesticated
Domestication

Domestication or taming refers to the process whereby a population of living things becomes accustomed to a controlled environment by other plants or animals through a process of Selective breeding....
, but in October 2002 the estimated 950 remaining in the wild in northwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Mongolia
Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west....
 were placed on the critically endangered species
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
 list. There are about 1,400,950 alive today.

History

It is thought that the Bactrian Camel was domesticated (independently from the dromedary) sometime before 2500 BC, probably in northern Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
, Northeast Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, or southwestern Turkestan
Turkestan

Turkestan is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. It has been referenced in many Turkic and Persian sagas and is an integral part of Turan ....
. The dromedary is believed to have been domesticated between 4000 BCE
4th millennium BC

The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marks the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Ancient Egypt are established and grow to prominence....
 and 2000 BCE
2nd millennium BC

The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia....
 in Arabia. The wild population of Bactrian Camels was first described by Nikolai Przhevalsky
Nikolai Przhevalsky

Nikolai Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky , also transliterated Przewalski and Prjevalsky , was a Russian geographer and List of explorers of Central Asia and Eastern Asia....
 in the late 19th century.

Bactrian Camels have been the focus of artwork throughout history. For example, western foreigners from the Tarim Basin
Tarim Basin

The Tarim Basin is a large endorheic basin occupying an area of more than 400,000 km2. It is located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in PRC's far west....
 and elsewhere were depicted in numerous ceramic figurines of the Chinese Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
 (618–907).

Subspecies

There is some evidence that the Bactrian Camel can be divided up into different subspecies. In particular, it has been discovered that a population of wild Bactrian Camel lives within a part of the Gashun Gobi region of the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert

The Gobi is the largest desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and by the North China Plain to the s...
. This population is distinct from domesticated herds both in genetic makeup and in behavior.

There are possibly as many as three regions in the genetic makeup that are distinctly different from domesticated camels and there is up to a 3% difference in the base genetic code. However, with so few wild camels, it is unclear what the natural genetic diversity within a population would have been.

Canadian researcher William Sommers found that these wild camels had the ability to drink saltwater slush, although it is not yet certain the camel can extract useful water from it. Domesticated camels do not attempt to drink salt water, though the reason is unknown.

Conservation


The Bactrian Camel was identified as one of the top-10 "focal species" in 2007 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered
EDGE Species

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Species represent a disproportionate amount of unique evolutionary history. They have few close relatives and are often extremely unusual in the way they look, live and behave....
 (EDGE) project. EDGE identifies species that are evolutionarily distinct and need better protection to prevent extinction. The Bactrian Camel was placed in the top-10 along with Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew
Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew

The Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew is the largest of the African elephant shrew family. It is the size of a small rabbit, and is only found in the coastal Arabuko Sokoke National Park north of Mombassa in Kenya....
, Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna
Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna

Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna , also known as the Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna or Cyclops Long-beaked Echidna, is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus to occur in New Guinea....
, Hispaniolan Solenodon, Yangtze River dolphin
Baiji

Baiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje....
, Slender loris
Slender loris

The slender lorises are two species of loris, the only members of the genus Loris:* the Red Slender Loris, Loris tardigradus* the Gray Slender Loris, Loris lydekkerianus...
, Hirola
Hirola

The Hirola is an antelope species found in arid grassy plains in a pocket on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It's the only member of the genus Beatragus....
, Pygmy Hippo
Pygmy Hippopotamus

The pygmy hippopotamus is a large mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa . The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal. It is one of only two extant species in the Hippopotamidae family , the other being its much larger cousin the common hippopotamus....
, Bumblebee bat, and the Long-eared Jerboa
Long-eared Jerboa

The Long-eared Jerboa, Euchoreutes naso, is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears....
. There are only hundreds of them in the wild and the population is decreasing, but a large captive population has been kept.

Gallery


External links

  • EDGE of Existence - Saving the World's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species
  • - Wild Bactrian Camels Critically Endangered
  • - Discovery of camels in the Gashun Gobi region