TAXONOMY
Describer (Date): Describer of Wild Camel: Prjevalsky 1878
Describer of dromedary and domestic Bactrian: Linnaeus, 1758
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Camelus
Species: Camelus ferus
Species: Camelus bactrianus
Species: Camelus dromedarius
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 
Body Weight: Wild Camel: ~992 lbs (450 kg)
Domestics: 1320-2200 lb 600-1000 kg
Body Length: 300 cm / 10 ft.
Shoulder Height: Wild Camel:
Domestics 180-230 cm / 6-7.6 ft.
Humps: Wild Camel: 2 small conical humps
Bactrian 2 large rounded humps – Like a “B” on its side
Dromedary has 1 hump – Like a “D” on its side

 

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS
Range: Domestic species widely introduced
Species: Camelus ferus (China / Mongolia - restricted)
Species: Camelus bactrianus (Mongolia, China, Iran Pakistan)
Species: Camelus dromedarius (N. Africa, India, Iran, Arabia)
Habitat: arid / semiarid regions of world
IUCN Status: CR for Wild Camel / LC for Domestics
CITES Appendix: Appendix I for Wild Camel / Domestics not listed
Wild Camel Population: <1,000
Domestic Population: ~22,000,000
ISIS captive population: Domestic Bactrian 691 / dromedary 277
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY
Locomotion: normal gait is a “pace”
Activity Cycle: Browse 6-8 hrs/day
Social Groups: Small herds ~6
Diet: desert shrubs
Predators: Man, wolves

 

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Sexual Maturity: 4-5 years
Gestation: 12-14 months
Birth interval: 2 years
Age at Weaning: 1-2 years
Longevity: ~40 years
SPECIES HIGHLIGHTS
Feature Facts: The camel’s hump is not a water reservoir but contains mostly fat and used as an energy reserve. When food is scarce it almost disappears
Society Fact: The San Diego Zoo has Bactrian camels.

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