Domestic Yak

Class: Mammals

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Weight: Males can weigh up to 1000 kg. Females are generally smaller, weighing between 350-450 kg.

Height: 1.5-1.6 m

Body length: 2.5-3.3 m

Color: Fur is dark brown or grayish-black except for the face, which has white patches.

Age of sexual maturity: 6-8 years

Gestation period: 9 months

Lifespan: 20-25 years

Habitat: Yaks are found in Tibet, Russia (in the Republics of Tuva, Buryatia, and Altai), and in countries such as India, China, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, and Mongolia. Since wild yaks were domesticated, they have been introduced to many countries and have adapted well, significantly expanding their habitat range.

Diet: Grass, mosses, lichens

Did you know?

• According to historians, yaks were domesticated as early as the first millennium BC.
• Paradoxically, while wild yaks are fierce, they are among the most domesticated wild animals.
• A yak can consume a large amount of low-quality food at once and then gradually “ferment” it inside its body, extracting all the nutrients and staying satiated for a long time.