Bactrian Camels
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Say hello
to my two favorite boys. My son Montana, and "Ollie the Camel" our young
bactrian camel. This picture was taken in the summer of 2004 when Ollie
(Ollie the Camel is his full name, but sometimes we call him Ollie for
short) was 2 1/2 years old.
As you can see he's missing much of his down - down is the soft fiber undercoat that covers Ollie during the cold winter months. Once a year, in the spring bactrian camels shed, by the time fall rolls around the down is all grown back and he has a very warm coat for the winter.
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In the spring when Ollie sheds I collect the down. It then gets blended with a small percentage of Merino wool and made into yarn. This fiber is similar in softness, warmth and lightness to the fiber found on cashmere goats.
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Camelids (the family of animals that include camels, llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos) originated in North America 40-45 million years ago. Around the Pleistocene Era the ancestors of the camel began a migration across the land bridge at the Bering Strait to Asia. At the same time the "New World Camelids" (alpacas, llamas, vicunas and guanacos) began a journey south to Latin America. When these migrations were completed all camel life in North America died out. After their arrival in Asia, the camels spread out through Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Bactrian camels (the camels with two humps) populated the areas of modern day Mongolia, Afghanistan and Tibet. The dromedary (the one humped camel, sometimes called the Arabian camel) is found in the warmer regions of the Middle East and Northern Africa. Bactrian camels live to be about 40 years old, they grow to be between 7 and 8 feet tall measured from their humps down and they weigh between 1,200 to 2,000 lbs. |
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Bactrian Camel |
Dromedary |
| Camels are often thought of as obstinate, ill tempered animals. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both types of camels were domesticated around 3,500 years ago and in the cultures that they live they are indispensable to the development of the society. In Mongolia today domesticated camels still provide many of life's necessities particularly for the nomads of the Gobi Desert. These powerful animals can carry humans and their wares. Over a 4 day period a camel can haul 375 to 600 pounds at rates of 29 miles a day and 2.5 miles an hours. They are well adapted to harsh climates and can travel 100 miles without water. They retain water efficiently and a thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. In remote areas of Mongolia these animals provide many of life's necessities including camel hair which is woven and felted into clothing, blankets and tents (called Yurts), dried camel droppings fuel fires, their milk and meat is eaten by these people. |
No Ill Tempered Camels Here!!! |
Harvesting Camel Down
