Camel baby born at Saint Louis Zoo. Photo by Chuck Mannis/Saint Louis Zoo
Bactrian Camel Born at Saint Louis Zoo
Mar 25, 2010Saint Louis Zoo 314/781-0900
Janet Powell, ext. 4633
Christy Childs, ext. 4639
Joanna Bender, ext. 4703
A male Bactrian camel (pronounced BACK-tree-an) was born at the Saint Louis Zoo on March 11, 2010 weighing 98 pounds. Eli's parents are Minnie and Elvis. He can be seen with the camel herd at Red Rocks.
The critically endangered species is native to Mongolia in central Asia. Baby camels are born with two humps, like their parents, but at birth these lay flat against their sides until they can store up energy-rich fat.
Camels can survive without water for long periods of time, and energy-rich fat stored in their humps enables them to survive long periods without food.
Pregnancy in camels lasts for 11 months and calves are generally born in March and April. Spring is also the time when Bactrian camels completely shed their thick dark winter coat, leaving them almost hairless during the hot summer months.
Although domesticated Bactrian camels number in the millions, there are less than 1,000 wild camels left in their native range in Mongolia.
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