Wild Bactrian Camel

About this species

Habitat

Arid desert, stony plain, dunes, and mountain massifs

Range

Northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia

The wild Bactrian camel is a two-humped camel native to northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia. Although closely related to the domestic Bactrian camel, genetic research identifies it as a separate species rather than the ancestor of today's domestic form. That distinction matters in the field wherever domestic or free-ranging domestic camels occur nearby. The consulted wild-camel account did not provide sufficiently clear species-specific measurements or external characters for a dependable visual separation beyond expert assessment, so domestic-camel measurements are not transferred here. (Wikipedia, general species account)

In Mongolia the species is specifically reported from the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, with additional populations in adjoining desert reserves in China. Its broader desert environment includes stony plains, dunes, and mountain massifs with sparse vegetation and limited water. Genetic studies cited by the account estimate that wild and domestic Bactrian camels diverged roughly 0.7–1.1 million years ago. Observations should therefore be treated cautiously: two humps alone establish a Bactrian camel, not necessarily a genuinely wild Camelus ferus. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)