Nearly eight feet tall, she is one big Bactrian camel,

the largest of all living camel species.

Gemma is 15 years old, which places her at middle age

for Bactrian camels.

Native to the steppes of Central Asia,

Bactrian camels have two humps, not one.

And contrary to what many people think,

their humps contain fat, not water.

They convert the stored fat into energy,

which can be used in place of water or food.

This, along with their clumpy, wooly coats

and tolerance for high altitudes, make them the perfect

companions for long, difficult journeys.

Domesticated Bactrian camels are abundant,

but wild ones are critically endangered

due to hunting and loss of habitat.

Over the course of the next couple

of generations, their numbers outside of domesticity

are expected to dwindle to just a quarter

of its current population.

This is the Bactrian camel.

(digital tone)