Yak Profile
Cows are some of the most underrated animals on Earth.
Many of us, when we imagine a cow, conjure up the image taught to us in preschool of the black and white animal who says, “Moo”, but cows are so much more than this.
Since the truly enormous herbivores all got wiped out, those that remain are badass by design, and while most wild species have been lost or vastly reduced, what’s left is still diverse and breathtaking.
The Yak is particularly interesting because it’s both a domesticated species and that species’ wild ancestor. And it’s been one of the most significant animals in the human history of South Asia.
Yak Facts Overview
| Habitat: | Grasslands, steppe, domestic settings |
| Location: | Himalayas, South Asia, some in New Zealand |
| Lifespan: | 25 Years |
| Size: | Up to 2m (6.7 ft) tall and 3.8 m (12 ft) long, domesticated yaks smaller |
| Weight: | Up to 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) |
| Colour: | Black to brown |
| Diet: | Grasses, shrubs, forbs, mosses |
| Predators: | Wolves, humans, snow leopards |
| Top Speed: | Possibly up to 40 km/h (25 mph) |
| No. of Species: | 2 |
| Conservation Status: | Bos mutus is Vulnerable, Bos grunniens not listed (IUCN) |
Yaks are absolutely glorious animals, both to look at and in terms of their toughness in such brutal environments.
Without this, humans would never have been able to spread so far into the high-altitude, low-temperature barren wastelands, and for this, humanity should be thankful.
Sadly, while this animal is revered historically, modern populations aren’t as respectful and protections need to be strictly enforced to prevent wild species from disappearing forever.
Interesting Yak Facts
1. Ancient Cows
The yak’s taxonomy is still a bit of a puzzle, and some think that it might be an Eastern cousin of the American bison.
Ancient, extinct species like the Baikal yak, are dotted around Eastern Russia, and there seems to be some relationship between wild yaks and the Aurochs, which may have diverged around five million years ago, before the American bison entered the Americas, suggesting that these two may share a recent common ancestor too.
Today, there are two species of yak: the wild, ancestral variety and the smaller, domesticated animal. There are no subspecies of yak, as long as the two species are considered distinct, though there is still some controversy over whether or not the wild yak should be considered a subspecies of the domesticated yak.
Regardless, both animals are ancient, with evidence of hybridisation dating back almost five thousand years, and full-blown domestication occurring at least 2500 years ago. 1 2
2. They’re enormous
Both the domesticated and wild yaks are big animals, but the wild species is one of the largest bovids left in the world.
A large male can stand 2 meters tall at the shoulder and weigh well over a tonne. He can also span nearly four meters long before the one-meter tail is included.
Yet, yaks are extremely sexually dimorphic. Females are a third smaller and about a third of the weight of males, suggesting a huge amount of sexual selection and competition among males. 3
3. They’re highly adapted to harsh environments
One advantage of being huge is that a body can store heat more efficiently, and yaks are adorned with some exceptional adaptations to the harsh weather of their native range.
These are high-altitude, cold-weather specialists and come packing thick hair that they wear like a skirt, down to their ankles.
Even domesticated yaks struggle outside of their native climates since they’re so well specialised to living in low-oxygen, freezing places.
Yaks inhabit regions well above the treeline, where there is no frost-free season, and their complex fur makes outstanding wool; one of the many resources that are thought to have been necessary for humans to occupy the remotest areas of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateaus. 4
4. They’re hard to tame
Despite having somehow been domesticated in ancient times, records show that modern attempts to rear captive wild yaks have been met with significant failure.
Tamed yaks appear to lose their prowess and become weak; unable to carry packs and making them mostly useless. So, the relationship between humans and wild yaks remains one of predator and prey, but the domesticated yak provides a wealth of resources for the herdsman. 5
5. People drink their blood
Yak meat is, of course, a primary benefit of farming these animals, but there are social roles for the yak’s resources, too.
In Nepal, a traditional festival involves the drinking of yak blood, in the belief that it comes with a range of health benefits. This blood is extracted from the yak while it’s still alive, and the animal is allowed to heal and recover as the victim of one of the few human parasitic practices on record.
6. Yaks provide so much
The ability of such a large and impressive animal to survive in these conditions has been attributed to human presence, and without yaks, the region would likely be inhospitable to people.
Even today, in western Sichuan, 72 per cent of the milk, 45 per cent of the beef, 42 per cent of bovine skin and 34 per cent of animal fibre (including fine wool) come from yak, and historically, this would have been significantly higher.
Yak leather makes everything from clothing to boat hulls, its butter lights lamps and its dung burns in stoves and acts as plaster for buildings.
For early humans, this is one of the most significant animals to have ever lived in the region, and the fact that it’s able to convert the hard, frozen Earth into this many resources for early humanity truly acts as a testament to all the lost ancient herbivores of the past. 6
7. Hunting is their primary threat
Despite the wild yak’s historical tenacity, modern human presence has become a burden on the species and the species is now considered Vulnerable.
Poaching is a big threat, and solitary males make up a large portion of the targets. Genetic purity is also jeopardised by interbreeding with livestock, and this also comes with the threat of disease transmission.
Protections are in place, and the species has been downgraded from a more serious position as a result, but continued efforts are necessary to keep this incredible cow from joining the ranks of another extinct megabeast. 7
Yak Fact-File Summary
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Genus: | Bos |
| Species: | Mutus |
Fact Sources & References
- Guo Songchang (2008), “Taxonomic placement and origin of yaks: implications from analyses of mtDNA D-loop fragment sequences”, mammal.cn.
- S.K. Vasiliev (2021), “Remains of the Baikal yak (Poehpagus mutus baikalensis N. Verestchagin, 1954) from Late Pleistocene localities of Southern Siberia”, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- David M (2009), “Bos grunniens and Bos mutus (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)”, Sci Hub.
- “1 ORIGINS, DOMESTICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF YAK”, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States.
- Noor Hussain (2017), “A Herd of “Wild Yak“”, flickr.
- David Rhode (2007), “Yaks, yak dung, and prehistoric human habitation of the Tibetan Plateau”, Science Direct.
- “Bos grunniens yak”, Animal Diversity Web.