Photo Credit: Doug KjosFOUND IN WILD: rocky deserts and snowy plains of Central Asia
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION:
Head and body length: 9-1/2 feet
Height: about 6-1/2 feet
Weight: 1,000 – 2,500 pounds
DIET (ZOO): alfalfa, hay and mixed grains DIET (WILD): vegetation that grows in their arid environment
INTERESTING FACTS:
Since they are from the cold regions of the world and mountain deserts, they adapt well to North Dakota winters.
Two humps on back are fat tissue providing storage space for food.
Life span: 20 – 40 years
Note that the heads of camels and llamas are similar; they are cousins.
Camels have an extra set of eyelids, which help to keep the sand out of their eyes. It works like a windshield wiper, moving side to side and wiping sand away.
Single-humped camels are called dromedaries, and are found in Africa and Saudi Arabia.
Can go long periods without water. An adult camel can drink up to 200 quarts at once. Can lose up to 40% of their body weight in water loss; 14% loss would kill a human.
Only about 500 left in the wilds of China/Mongolia.
Nomads in Asia depend on Bactrians for wool, meat and milk, and for transporting people and goods.
Used extensive when the Chinese built the Great Wall of China
