Baby Bactrian Camel Joins Zoo Miami Family

Baby Bactrian Camel Joins

the Zoo Miami Family

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: June 16, 2020 10:21 pm

Photo Credit: Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami in Florida, USA has welcomed an adorable baby bactrian camel. The healthy baby girl was born on Saturday June 13th and is yet to be named.

At her birth she weighed 96lbs (43.6kg).

Photo Credit: Zoo Miami

Her birth has been long anticipated with Bactrian camels having a lengthy 14 month pregnancy.

The calf is the first for both parents. Her mum is 3 year-old Sunny who joined the zoo from Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa during 2017 and the father is 9 year-old Bubba who moved to Miami in 2012 from Minnesota Zoo where he was born.

Currently mother and calf are bonding in an off-exhibit portion of their habitat at the zoo. Once keepers feel that the pair have bonded and the calf is growing well they will go on exhibit for the public.

The little calf has a long life ahead with Bactrian camels being capable of living for up to 50 years.

Photo Credit: Zoo Miami

The Bactrian camels can be closely distinguished from their cousins the dromedary camel as these have 2 humps compared to the dromedary’s one. These humps hold fat that allow them to survive for extended periods of time in the harsh deserts where they are found.

These camels naturally occur throughout the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia.

Another adaptation for surviving here is that they do not sweat and can conserve water meaning they rarely need to drink. When they do drink they may consume up to 30 gallons (113 litres) in a single trip.