Fit to Survive

A Bactrian camel, on exhibit at the Bronx Zoo for the first time in 50 years. 

One of two old-world camel species, wild Bactrians are now mostly restricted to the arid Gobi Desert in Mongolia, where their shaggy coats protect from sub-zero temperatures. 

Unlike the one-humped Arabian or dromedary camel, Bactrians have two humps, which are used to store energy-rich fats.  They are champions of adapting to extreme conditions, and can go for ten months without water, and can eat dry, thorny vegetation that most other animals avoid.

• Ancient Camels Were Huge
• Life's Little Mysteries: Why Do Camels Have Humps?