The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of Central Asia. Of the two camel species, it is by far the rarest. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, unlike the dromedary with a single hump. Its population of two million exists primarily in domesticated form. Some authorities, notably the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), use the binomial name Camelus ferus for the wild Bactrian camel and reserve Camelus bactrianus for the domesticated Bactrian camel. Their name comes from the ancient historical region of Bactria. The domesticated Bactrian camel has served as a beast of burden in Inner Asia since ancient times. Thanks to its tolerance of cold, drought and high altitudes, it enabled journeys such as the Silk Road caravans. The wild form declined to an estimated population of 800 individuals in October 2002 and was listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its range in the wild is restricted to the remote regions of the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts of Mongolia and Chin....