Which endangered camel is endemic to northwest China and southwestern Mongolia?

The wild Bactrian camel is the endangered camel endemic to northwest China and southwestern Mongolia. It is the species Camelus ferus, a distinct wild camel rather than a feral form of the domestic two-humped camel.

Genetic research shows that wild and domestic Bactrian camels diverged roughly 700,000 to 1.1 million years ago. Both have two humps, but the wild species survives in remote deserts and arid mountain environments, where it travels long distances between sparse vegetation and water sources.

The species was once widespread across Central Asia. Hunting, poaching, mining, roads, habitat disturbance, competition with domestic livestock, and hybridization have reduced it to isolated populations. Important protected areas include China’s Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve and Mongolia’s Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area.

A common mix-up is treating “Bactrian camel” as one animal. Domestic Bactrian camels are Camelus bactrianus, while the wild Bactrian camel is Camelus ferus. The wild species has recently been assessed as Endangered, though it has historically been listed as Critically Endangered.