Thursday 14 October 2010

China

This is a bactrian camel - two humped, and hairier than the one humped dromedary of Africa and the Middle East because Asian deserts are so bitterly cold for most of the year.
There are still a very few wild ones around the edge of the Gobi dessert.
These are the camels that carried the trade along the Silk Road for thousands of years. Marco Polo used them.
As they headed west they met up with the one-humped variety in Jordan and Syria where they were often cross-bred. And yes, you've guessed it - the results did have one-and-a-half humps!
They're so tough they rarely need help -but do treat a few for worms or ticks, helping these fantastic animals to stay healthy.

2 comments:

Tamara said...

Great photo, and thanks for the interesting education here about this breed of camel!

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