Source: NDTV
Subject: Species in News
Context: Two Bactrian camels named ‘Galwan’ and ‘Nubra’ will feature in the Republic Day Parade 2026 on Kartavya Path as part of the Army’s Animal Contingent, highlighting Ladakh’s unique cold-desert heritage.
About Bactrian Camel:
What it is?
- A double-humped camel adapted to extreme cold and arid conditions of Central Asian cold deserts.
Found in:
- India: The species is found only in Ladakh (Nubra Valley) in India, making its appearance nationally significant.
- Global: Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, parts of Central Asia.
Origin:
- Domesticated ~5,000–6,000 years ago in Central Asia (around modern Uzbekistan–West Kazakhstan region).
- Named after Bactria, an ancient Central Asian region.
IUCN Status:
- Wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus): Critically Endangered.
Types:
- Wild Bactrian Camel: Camelus ferus (Critically Endangered).
- Domestic Bactrian Camel: Camelus bactrianus (Common, domesticated).
Key characteristics:
- Two humps: Store fat (not water), providing energy during long periods of food scarcity in cold deserts.
- Cold tolerance: Long, shaggy winter coat insulates against sub-zero temperatures and is shed in summer to prevent overheating.
- Water efficiency: Can drink up to ~35 gallons at once and safely consume saline water unavailable to most animals.
- Diet adaptability: Tough, leathery lips allow it to eat thorny, bitter and highly saline desert vegetation.
- Desert adaptations: Broad hooves prevent sinking in sand, while long eyelashes and a third eyelid protect eyes from sandstorms.
Role in Indian history:
- Integral to Silk Road trade, linking India–Central Asia–China; famed as the “ships of the Silk Road”.
- Used by caravans that enabled movement of goods (jade, horses), ideas, and monks (e.g., Buddhist pilgrims to India).
- In Ladakh, supported trans-Himalayan commerce and connectivity before mechanisation.
