Driving home from work this evening along River Drive and saw something…unusual on the left side of the road. Did a double-take. Turned around and went back, and sure enough: there were camels! Not just regular one-hump dromedary camels; no, these were the much-less common two-hump bactrian camels! They were on display in front of the new Western Ranch Supply store to celebrate the grand opening. I pulled up, jumped out, and walked over to the owner, who apparently raises camels over in Fairfield. These three are all lady camels; two big adults and (all together now – awwwwww!) one baby – only 14 days old! Their fur (hair? coat?) was amazingly thick and coarse, but much softer than I imagined. Pretty sure that the camels will also be there tomorrow (Saturday), too, so you might want to swing by and say hi!
Click the picture to see a larger version!
DO you know why there are Bactrian camels in Montana & not Dromadary?
I think that the Bactrian camels are much better suited to cold weather; the Dromedary type are pretty much designed for hot, desert climates.
Yup- the bactrian a found in cool places like the Gobi desert!
Other camelids found in Montana include Llamas and alpacas! (Both can be spotted on the same road as you approach the camels in Fairfield)
Check out my article on the history of camels in Montana!
http://calbears.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3951/is_200007/ai_n8905220