Bactrian Camel: Two-Humped Camel Facts and Habitat

What is a Bactrian camel?

The Bactrian camel is one of three living species of true camels in the genus Camelus. The others are the one-humped dromedary of Arabia and North Africa and the wild camel, Camelus ferus, a separate and rare two-humped species of the Gobi Desert. All three belong to the family Camelidae, together with South American relatives such as the llama.

The name comes from Bactria, an ancient region in what is now northern Afghanistan and neighboring countries. Today around 2 million Bactrian camels exist, almost all of them domestic. Because it is a domesticated animal, the Bactrian camel itself is not assessed on the IUCN Red List and is classed here as Domesticated. The quick way to tell it from a dromedary is explained in dromedary vs Bactrian camel.

Appearance: two humps and a shaggy coat

A Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, a long curved neck, long legs and a broad, heavy body. Its coat varies from dark brown to sandy beige. In winter the coat becomes long and woolly, with a mane and beard of hair up to about 25 cm (10 in) long on the neck and throat, and tufts on the humps and upper legs.

In spring the winter coat falls out quickly, often in large sheets, which can make camels look ragged and patchy for a few weeks. Herders collect the shed fiber, and the soft undercoat is spun into camel-hair yarn.

Like all camels, the Bactrian camel has two toes on each foot joined by a broad, tough pad that spreads its weight on sand, gravel and snow. Long double eyelashes, hairy ears and nostrils that can close keep out dust during the frequent sandstorms of Central Asia.

Size and weight

The Bactrian camel is the largest living camel by weight. Adults weigh 300–1,000 kg (660–2,200 lb): males average about 600 kg (1,300 lb) and females about 480 kg (1,060 lb). The head and body measure 2.25–3.5 m (7.4–11.5 ft), with a tail of 35–55 cm (14–22 in).

It stands 1.6–1.8 m (5.2–5.9 ft) at the shoulder, a little shorter than the dromedary, but its humps rise to about 2.1 m (7 ft). A calf weighs around 36 kg (79 lb) at birth.

What is in the humps?

The two humps are stores of fat, not water. When a camel is well fed, the humps are firm and upright. In lean times the camel burns the fat for energy, and the humps shrink and lean to one side, so herders use them as a quick check of a camel’s condition. Keeping fat in the humps rather than spread under the skin also helps the body lose heat in summer. More on this common myth is in What is in a camel’s hump?.

Habitat and range

Bactrian camels are animals of cold deserts, semi-deserts, rocky mountain slopes and dry steppe. Their homeland includes the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and northern China, and the plains of Kazakhstan and nearby countries. Temperatures there can swing from below −30 °C (−22 °F) in winter, and close to −40 °C (−40 °F) in the coldest places, to above 40 °C (104 °F) in summer.

Most of the world’s Bactrian camels live in Mongolia, China (especially Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Gansu) and Kazakhstan. Smaller herds are kept in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran and India’s high, cold Ladakh region, and in zoos and farms worldwide.

How these camels cope with freezing winters, including eating snow, is explained in How do Bactrian camels survive the cold?.

What do Bactrian camels eat?

Bactrian camels are herbivores that graze and browse on grasses, herbs, shrubs and the leaves of small trees. Their tough mouths let them eat dry, thorny, bitter and salty plants that most livestock refuse. Salt-tolerant plants are an important part of their diet. In very hard times they have been seen chewing bones, hides and other unusual items.

Like cattle, camels chew the cud: food is swallowed partly chewed, brought back up later and chewed again. Their stomach has three chambers rather than the four of cattle and sheep.

Water use is just as important. A Bactrian camel can go for long periods without drinking, especially in cool weather when it gets moisture from plants and snow. When it does reach water, a thirsty camel can drink more than 100 liters (26 US gallons) at once.

Behavior and herd life

Bactrian camels are active by day and rest at night. In herding communities they often roam in loose groups with little supervision, returning to wells and camps. Groups typically consist of females and young led by a dominant male.

Most of the year they are calm, but during the winter breeding season males become aggressive. They grind their teeth, foam at the mouth, mark with strong-smelling secretions from glands on the back of the head, and wrestle rival males, which can be dangerous to people working with them. Like other camels, they walk with a “pace”, moving both legs on one side of the body at the same time. They have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell, which helps them find grazing and water across huge, open landscapes.

Reproduction and lifespan

Females are induced ovulators, which means mating triggers the release of an egg. Camels usually breed in winter, and pregnancy lasts about 13 months. A female normally gives birth to one calf, rarely twins, and can calve about every two years.

The calf can stand and walk within hours of birth. It nurses for about a year and a half and may stay close to its mother for several years. Bactrian camels mature at about three to five years old and are often reported to live up to about 40 years.

Predators and threats

Healthy adult Bactrian camels have few natural enemies. In Central Asia the main predator is the gray wolf, which mostly targets calves and weak or old animals, especially in harsh winters.

For the domestic camel, the bigger threats come from people and climate. Severe winters with deep snow or ice, known in Mongolia as dzud, can kill large numbers of livestock, camels included. In several countries camel numbers fell as trucks and roads replaced caravans and herders switched to more profitable goats and sheep. Interest in camel milk, wool and tourism has helped herds recover in some regions.

The wild camel: a separate species

For a long time the wild two-humped camels of the Gobi were thought to be the ancestors of domestic Bactrian camels. Genetic studies have shown that they are a separate species, Camelus ferus, which split from the domestic camel’s ancestors roughly 0.7–1.1 million years ago. Wild camels are slimmer, with smaller, more pointed humps and a sandy coat, and they can drink water saltier than seawater.

The wild camel is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with only around 1,000 animals estimated to survive in China and Mongolia. Its story is told in Are there wild Bactrian camels?.

Relationship with people

The Bactrian camel was domesticated in Central Asia at least about 4,500 years ago. It became the great pack animal of the Silk Road, carrying silk, tea, spices and other goods between China and the West. A strong camel can carry about 170–250 kg (370–550 lb) and walk up to around 47 km (29 mi) a day, coping with cold, altitude and long dry stretches better than horses or mules.

Today Bactrian camels still provide transport, milk, meat, wool and leather for herders, especially in Mongolia. Camel milk and fermented camel milk are traditional foods, and camel festivals with races and beauty contests are held in the Gobi in late winter. Bactrian camels and dromedaries can interbreed, and their large, strong hybrids have been bred in Central Asia and Turkey for centuries.

Myths and facts

• Myth: the humps store water. Fact: they store fat. Camels survive dry spells because their kidneys, gut and nose save water, and because they can tolerate losing a large share of their body water.
• Myth: domestic Bactrian camels descend from today’s wild camels. Fact: genetic studies show the two are separate species that split long before domestication. The wild ancestor of the domestic Bactrian camel is extinct.
• Myth: camels have always lived in Asia and Africa. Fact: the camel family evolved in North America. Early camels crossed into Asia over the Bering land bridge millions of years ago, while the camels that stayed behind in North America died out at the end of the last ice age.
• Myth: a camel with drooping humps is sick. Fact: floppy humps usually mean the camel has used up its fat reserves after a lean period. With good feeding, the humps fill out and stand upright again.