Where does the wild Bactrian camel live?
The wild Bactrian camel is endemic to north-western China and south-western Mongolia. It lives on arid plains and hills with scarce water sources and minimal vegetation, at 40 to 50 °C in summer and −30 °C in winter. Most live on the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve in China, and a smaller population lives in the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia.
What does the wild Bactrian camel eat?
Shrubs serve as its primary food source on these arid plains and hills. It can survive on water saltier than seawater, which probably no other large mammal can tolerate. In winter it eats snow to get liquids. It is smaller than the domestic Bactrian camel, lithe and slender-legged, with humps often about half the size.
Is the wild Bactrian camel endangered?
Yes: the IUCN lists it as Endangered. Only around 950 wild Bactrian camels remain, and the population trend is still decreasing. The threats are poaching, land mines at salt springs, climate change, wolf predation, hybridisation with domestic camels, toxic effluent from illegal mining and competition with livestock.
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