# Bactrian camel (*Camelus bactrianus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bactrian-camel  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), also called the two-humped camel, is a mammal in the family Camelidae, order Artiodactyla. It is a giant terrestrial herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 690 kg, and it is active during the day. Gestation lasts 396.5 days (1.1 years), females have 1 young per litter at a rate of 0.5 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 3.5 years. Its lifespan is listed as 35.4 years, with a highest reported value of 40 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 475 kg – 690 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 35.4 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 40 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 397 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Camelidae
- genus: Camelus
- species: *Camelus bactrianus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Camelus bactrianus bactrianus*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a bactrian camel?

The bactrian camel has a representative adult body mass of 690 kg, which places it in the giant size class (over 250 kg).

### What does a bactrian camel eat?

The bactrian camel is a herbivore.

### How long does a bactrian camel live?

Its lifespan is listed as 35.4 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 40 years.

### What kind of animal is the bactrian camel?

The bactrian camel is a mammal in the family Camelidae, order Artiodactyla. It is terrestrial and diurnal.

### How many young does a bactrian camel have?

A bactrian camel has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.5 litters per year, after a gestation of 396.5 days (1.1 years).

### When does a bactrian camel reach sexual maturity?

The bactrian camel reaches sexual maturity at 1,278 days (3.5 years).

### Who named the bactrian camel?

The bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bactrian-camel