Which two-humped camel was especially suited to transporting goods across the Silk Road?

The Bactrian camel was especially suited to transporting goods across the Silk Road. Its two humps store fat, helping it survive long journeys through cold deserts and harsh continental climates.

Domesticated Bactrian camels carried merchandise, food, water, and sometimes passengers between oasis settlements. Their ability to tolerate freezing winters and hot summers made them particularly valuable on routes through Central Asia, where a one-humped dromedary was less well adapted.

The name refers to ancient Bactria, a region centered on parts of modern Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Wild Bactrian camels still survive in small populations, but most Silk Road caravans used domesticated animals.

A common mix-up is treating all caravan camels as dromedaries. Dromedaries have one hump and were more strongly associated with Arabia, North Africa, and warmer deserts; Bactrian camels were the characteristic pack animals of much of inland Eurasia.