About
The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large camel that lives around the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia, Lop Nur, and the Taklamakan Desert. It has a large body and pads on its splayed toes adapted for walking; it mainly eats grasses and shrubs and can process tough plants and cactus spines. It is diurnal and lives in moving groups usually composed of 6–20 animals with one male and multiple females. Estrus is brief and ovulation is induced by stimulation; gestation lasts about 13 months, and typically one or two young are born. Wild populations have declined severely and are classified as Critically Endangered for conservation; the main threats are mining and pipeline construction, hunting, and predation by wolves. Measures such as setting up protected areas and captive breeding are being advanced.
