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The two-humped camel is the largest representative of its kind, living mainly in inaccessible landscapes. For people living in arid countries, it is very valuable, it is a vehicle widely used in transportation. In addition, its meat and milk is eaten, wool also finds its application in everyday life.
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In nature, there are two main varieties of bactrian camels that differ from each other in living conditions:
- Homework. In Mongolia, they are called Bactrians.
- Wild. Their other name is Haptagai. A small species listed in the Red Book because of the possibility of extinction.
Both wild and domestic, they amaze with their huge complexion. Males sometimes make up to 2.7 meters, weight reaches up to 1 ton. Female camels are somewhat smaller in size, their weight varies from 500 to 800 kg. The tail of the camel has a brush at the end, its length is about 0.5 meters. Two humps of camels are mobile, when the animal is fat, they are elastic, stand upright, and in a state of hunger they are fully or partially tilted to the sides, hanging out during movement. Humps accumulate body fat, which is an essential nutrient reserve for the animal. The ability of weight accumulation of body fat is limited to 150 kg. In addition, the humps protect the wearer from overheating, covering his back with a direct hit by the scorching rays of the sun. The distance between the humps is 40 cm, allowing you to equip a saddle between them for a rider.
The legs of two-humped camels are long, the feet are bifurcated into two parts, the bottom is a thick corns pillow, the leg in front is claw-like, resembles a hoof. This structure of the legs allows camels to easily walk on stony or loose surfaces of the earth. It is characteristic that domestic camels have corpus callosum covering their front knees and chest area, which is uncharacteristic of their wild counterparts.
The neck of the animal is curved, very long, from the base it bends down, and then rises up. The head is very large, located in line with the shoulders. Double eyelashes, eyes with an expressive look. Slit-shaped nostrils, ears very small. The upper lip is bifurcated, which facilitates the process of chewing rough solid food.
The coat is painted mainly in sand color shades, sometimes reaching a dark or reddish color. Domesticated individuals are most often brown, but there are representatives of this genus of gray, white, and black colors. The most rare are light camels.
The structure of camel fur is represented by hollow hairs surrounded by undercoat, which protects the camel from changes in positive and negative air temperatures. The length of the coat is from 5 to 7 cm, at the tops of the humps and in the lower part of the neck it is longer - up to 25 cm. In winter, the coat is slightly lengthened and can reach up to 30 cm in length. Fur from camels falls in shreds in the spring, during the period of their molting. In the next three weeks before the appearance of a new coat, they walk bald and untidy.
In voice these individuals resemble a donkey. Their angry cry is accompanied by weight lifting, when it is necessary to rise from their knees or to fall on them in a loaded state.
Habitat
Bactrian camels, regardless of their belonging to wild or domestic species, are endowed with the ability to survive in sometimes harsh conditions, unbearable for individuals of other species of the animal world. This is confirmed by their ability to live during periods of very hot, dry summers or very cold winters.
In search of water sources, wild representatives of this species are able to travel long distances of up to 90 kilometers daily. Replenishing the body with water, they visit the available rare rivers, temporary rains. In winter, watering near rivers is replaced by obtaining the necessary water from snow cover.
Characteristics and lifestyle
Haptagai in natural conditions keep a herd, including up to 20 individuals, headed by a leader, but in rare cases they can live alone. They constantly move along stony flat areas in search of food and especially water, stopping at one rare source or at another. Two-humped camels lead an active lifestyle during the day, when dark, apathy and lethargy in movements are manifested, more often they sleep at night. In hurricane winds, they prefer to rest. A saving way of transferring heat is for them walking against the wind, thereby ensuring thermoregulation. Gullies and bushes are also used by them to search for coolness.
Temperament of Haptagai and Bactrian is different. Domesticated camels are cowardly and calm in their behavior. Wild individuals are timid, but at the same time aggressive. Possessing by nature sharp eyesight, they see danger from afar and flee from it. Haptagai speed can reach up to 60 km. per hour, and the endurance is so great that their run can last 2-3 days until the forces are completely exhausted and the camel falls to exhaustion. Haptagai are afraid of domesticated camels, considering them their enemies no less than tigers or wolves.
With its large head and huge body size, two-humped camels are not far away, when attacked by predators, they are not protected, but only roar or spit. Often, even crows are able to peck camel wounds without encountering resistance. Before the attacks of enemies, a camel is defenseless.
The saliva that the camel spits in addition to the stomach contents of the irritated animal.
The winter snowy period of time causes the camels inconvenience, they are not able to easily move around in the snow, and even more so to find food under the snow. Horses come to the aid of domesticated camels, running through the snow, tedding it and giving the camels the opportunity to pick up the food dug from under the snow. Wild animals have to independently search for places where ungulate animals ran through.
Power supplies
The main nutritious diet of two-humped camels is represented by rough malnutrition, which is not suitable for all representatives of the animal world. Giants eat thorny plants, reed shoots, rough grass. They feed not only on plant foods; bones and skins of fauna are suitable for their nutrition. They are also able to starve for a long time, restriction of food intake does not adversely affect their health. But overeating leads to obesity of the animal, thereby disrupting the work of its internal organs. In general, camels are illegible in food, eat dry grass, various cereals and dried bread.
To drink water, including salt water, representatives of this species are capable of huge quantities, up to 100 liters. at one time with a prolonged absence of water. On average, being close to the river, they approach it to quench their thirst once every 3 days. Without harm to health, it is able to do without liquid lasting 2-3 weeks, replacing the lack of water with grass.
Reproduction, life expectancy
Camels reach adulthood by the age of 3-4 years. At this age, they can breed. The mating season for this species of animals begins in the fall. During this period of time, the males are very aggressive, which is expressed by their roar, secretions of foam on the lips, constant throwing and throwing at others. Males fight with rivals, bite him and kick him, continuing to strike until the death of the enemy. Domesticated aggressive camels in the mating season are marked with rags tied to them and try to be kept separately from other individuals. Wild males, on the other hand, become bolder and are able to lead domesticated females behind them, and destroy the males in a rival battle.
Pregnancy lasts 13 months, the baby appears in the spring, its weight is up to 45 kg. More than one baby is born very rarely in a female, more than two - never. The baby possesses the ability to walk after 2 hours from the moment of birth. It feeds on mother’s milk for one and a half years. Parents look after the baby until they reach puberty. In the future, he becomes independent, the newly made male leaves the family to create his herd, while the female remains with her mother in her herd.
Cases of crossing one-humped and two-humped camels are known, as a result of which individuals appeared having one hump extended along the entire length of the back of the animal. The female received the name May, and the male is a virtugan.
The life expectancy of wild two-humped camels is about 40 years, domesticated camels, not exhausted by all litigations falling to the share of wild animals, live 5-7 years longer than their fellow tribesmen.
Video: Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus)
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