The Yak (Bos grunniens) is a bovine animal belonging to the order Artiodactyla.
Native to Central Asia, the yak has been domesticated for labor, meat, milk and fur. Yaks
are close relatives of domestic cattle and belong to the genus Bos.
Yaks are large animals and can stand as
high as 7 feet tall. Wild yaks can weigh as much as 2000 pounds and have very
distinctive shaggy coats that protect them from cold weather. Domestic yaks also have long fur coats but are
much smaller weighing in at an average of 1300 pounds for males and 500 pounds
for females.
Reproduction begins when a female yak is
approximately three years of age and gestation is nine months long. Yaks live
to an average age of 20. Yaks are herbivores and eat grass and shrubs usually
though open grazing.
Yak dung is utilized as fuel in many
Tibetan communities. These beasts of burden are also great sources of fiber for
bedding, rope and rugs. Processed and refined, yak fiber is a form of yarn and
can be made into clothing. In Tibet
and Mongolia, yaks provide livelihoods for generation after generation
providing much of the essentials for daily life.