Bactrian Camel
One of
the only two remaining species within the genus Camelus still existing
today, the other one being the
Arabian Camel
or Dromedary (fig.).
Four more species in this genus are today extinct. The Bactrian Camel is
native to the the steppes of central Asia and is commonly found in
remote regions, such as
China's
Gobi Desert. With an estimated 1.4 million of them it the smallest
member of the camel family, with most of its members being domesticated. The Bactrian Camel, which is also commonly referred
to as just Camel, is known by the scientific name Camelus bactrianus. In
contrast to the Arabian Camel, which has only one hump on its back, the
Bactrian Camel has two humps, which are in fact large fat reserves.
Camels can drink up to 60-100 liters of water in just 10 minutes, which
-contrary to popular belief- they do not store in their humps, but in their
stomachs, from where they release it only slowly into the blood flow, preventing any damage that would occur with other mammals if they would drink such large quantities in such a short time. Unlike most other mammals, which mostly have thick and rounded blood platelets, those of camels are rather flat and oval-shaped, which makes them circulate much faster through the bloodstream, a feature which is said to help prevent dehydration. Consequently, camels can lose up to 30% of their body fluid before experiencing adverse consequences, whereas people and most other mammals can lose only about 10% of their body fluid, after which nausea will set in and even blindness or death may occur.
In addition, the
camel is uniquely equipped with special adaptations, that allow it to go for
days without drinking, i.e. its nose humidifies dry air as it breaths in, then
de-humidifies it on the way out, thus conserving precious water, and its body
temperature can rise by 6 degrees Celsius before it even begins to
sweat. It also has thick fur that keeps it warm at night,
whilst it reflects the sunlight by day. Both camel species
have long been used as domesticated draft (fig.)
and working animals (fig.), and were an indispensible means of transportation
in the cross-country trade per caravan over inhospitable terrain, such
as certain parts of the ancient
Silk Road. Due to their important role
in history as beasts of burden, not in the least on the aforementioned
trade route, Bactrian Camels are sometimes portrayed in Chinese art and
iconography (fig.).
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