Domestic yak

Mammal

Domestic yak (Bos mutus grunniens)

The universal animal of the Tibetans

Without domestic yaks the life of the Tibetans at an altitude of more than 2000m would be unthinkable. They are very insensitive to the cold and they are very undemanding. Because of their big claws they are very helpful pack and riding animals on snoy mountain passes. Their tasty meat is often cut in stripes and dried. The milk is processed into butter and their fur into clothing, blankets and tents. Their excrement is dried in wood-poor areas and used as fuel. The tail serves as a fly swatter.

 


Category: Mammal

Withers height: 130 cm

Age: 25 years

Sexually mature: 2 years

gestation period: 273-294 days

food: herbs, grasses, mosses, lichens

habitat: desert steppes up to 4700 m above sea level

Danger: wild form almost extinct, domestic form not endangered