The Wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) is a critically endangeredspecies of camel living in East Turkestan and southwestern Mongolia. It is closely related to the Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus). Both are large, double-humped even-toed ungulates native to the steppes of central Asia.[1] Until recently, wild Bactrian camels were thought to have descended from domesticated Bactrian camels that became feral after being released into the wild. However, genetic studies have established it as a separate species that diverged from the Bactrian camel about 1.1 million years ago.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Distribution
Geographic distribution of the Wild Bactrian camel.
Currently, only about 1,000 wild Bactrian camels are living in the wild.[9] Most live on the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve near the border with China proper to the East.
↑Burger, P., Silbermayr, K., Charruau, P., Lipp, L., Dulamtseren, E., Yadmasuren, A. and Walzer, C. (in press). Genetic status of wild camels (Camelus ferus) in Mongolia.
