Yak
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Genus: Bos Species: Bos grunniens

The yak (Bos grunniens; now Poephagus grunniens, though this new name is not universally accepted) is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future A vulnerable species is a Species which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about A bovid is any of almost 140 species of Cloven-hoofed Mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. Bos is the Genus of wild and domestic Cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos The biological Subfamily bovines includes a diverse group of 10 species of medium to large sized Ungulates including domestic Cattle, Bison, Water Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In Tibetan, the word gyag refers only to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak. Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas In most languages which borrowed the word, including English, yak is usually used for both sexes.

Yaks are herd animals. A herd is a large group of animals The term is usually applied to mammals particularly Ungulates. Wild male yaks stand about 2-2. 2 meters tall at the shoulder, the females about one third of that size, and domesticated yaks about 1. 6-1. 8 meters. Both types have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns.

Domestic yaks mate in about September; the females may first conceive at about 3-4 years of age, calving April to June about every other or every third year, apparently depending upon food supply. This gestation period is approximately 9 months. In the absence of more data, wild animals are assumed to mirror this reproductive behavior. Calves will be weaned at one year and become independent shortly thereafter. Yaks may live to somewhat more than 20 years.

Wild yaks

Yak at the Saskatoon Zoo

Wild yaks (Tibetan: drong) can weigh up to 1,200 kg (2,400 lb) and have a head and body length of 3-3. The Forestry Farm Park and Zoo is a forested park and zoo located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. 4 meters. They usually form groups of between 10 and 30 animals. Their habitat is treeless uplands like hills, mountains and plateaus between 3,200 m (10,500 ft) and roughly 5,400 m (18,000 ft). A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak In Geology and Earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting They eat grasses, lichens and other plants. Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include Lichens (ˈlaɪkən or /lɪtʃən/ are symbiotic associations of a Fungus (the mycobiont with a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont also known as They are insulated by dense, close, matted under-hair as well as their shaggy outer hair. [1] Yaks secrete a special sticky substance in their sweat which helps keep their under-hair matted and acts as extra insulation. This secretion is used in traditional Nepalese medicine. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Many wild yaks are killed for food by the Tibetans; they are now a vulnerable species. The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper [2]

Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, reports on his journey from Kumbum in Amdo to Lhasa in 1950 that:

"Before long I was to see the vast herds of drongs with my own eyes. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. A Kumbum ( is a multi-storied aggregate of Buddhist chapels in Tibet. Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the The sight of those beautiful and powerful beasts who from time immemorial have made their home on Tibet's high and barren plateaux never ceased to fascinate me. Somehow these shy creatures manage to sustain themselves on the stunted grass roots which is all that nature provides in those parts. And what a wonderful sight it is to see a great herd of them plunging head down in a wild gallop across the steppes. The earth shakes under their heels and a vast cloud of dust marks their passage. At nights they will protect themselves from the cold by huddling up together, with the calves in the centre. They will stand like this in a snow-storm, pressed so close together that the condensation from their breath rises into the air like a column of steam. The nomad have occasionally tried to bring up young drongs as domestic animals, but they have never entirely succeeded. Somehow once they live together with human beings they seem to lose their astonishing strength and powers of endurance; and they are no use at all as pack animals, because their backs immediately get sore. Their immemorial relationship with humans has therefore remained that of game and hunter, for their flesh is very tasty. "^[1]

Domesticated yaks

A Tibetan yak.

Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer A working animal is an animal that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks They transport goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as for climbing and trekking expeditions. They also are used to draw ploughs. The plough ( American spelling plow; both plaʊ is a Tool used in Farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed Yak dung is even burned as fuel. Yak milk is often processed to a cheese called chhurpi in Tibetan and Nepali languages, and byaslag in Mongolia. Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. Chhurpi is a dried smoked Cheese eaten in the Eastern Himalayas. The traditional Mongolian Cuisine primarily consists of Dairy products and Meat. Butter made of Yaks' milk is an ingredient of the butter tea that Tibetans consume in large quantities,^[2] and is also used in lamps and made into butter sculptures used in religious festivities. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Butter tea, also known as po cha ( "Tibetan tea" cha süma ( "churned tea" Mandarin Chinese: su you cha ( 酥[[wiktionary Butter sculpture is the use of Butter as a medium for Sculpture. ^[3]

Often the pack animals are actually crossbreeds of the yak and Bos taurus (common domestic cattle). Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family These are known in Tibetan as dzo or dzopkyo, and in Mongolian as khainag. The Mongolian language (mn [[ImageMonggol kelesvg 17px]] Mongɣol kele, Cyrillic: Монгол хэл Mongol khel) is the best-known member of Yaks grunt, and unlike cattle are not known to produce the characteristic bovine lowing sound. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family

Yak fibers are soft and smooth and come in several colors, including shades of gray, brown, black and white. They are about 1. 2 inches long and are combed or shed from the yak and then dehaired. The result is a downy fiber that can be spun into yarn for knitting. This article is about the fiber product For the type of joke see Shaggy dog story. "Knit" redirects here See also KNIT and Knitted fabric. The animals' hair is turned into ropes, rugs and various other products. Their hide is used to make shoes and bags and in the construction of coracle-like boats. A coracle (cwrwgl is a small lightweight Boat used mainly in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland, and

In sport

In parts of Tibet, yak racing is considered a high source of entertainment at traditional Tibetan festivals. Yak racing is a Spectator sport held at many traditional Festivals of Tibet and Mongolia, and can be one of the most entertaining parts of a Tibetan

More recently, sports involving domesticated yaks, such as yak skiing, or yak polo, are being marketed as tourist attractions in Central Asian countries. Yak skiing is a sport reportedly practiced in the Indian hill resort of Manali as a tourist attraction Yak polo (or sarlagan polo) is a Mongolian variant of the sport Polo.

Gallery

Yaks in Manali, India saddled for riding

A train of pack yaks at Litang monastery in Sichuan, China

Yaks still provide the best way to plough fields in Tibet. Manali may refer to Manali Himachal Pradesh Manali Tamil Nadu Manali Thrissur Kerala ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

In Tibet, yaks are decorated and honored by the families they are part of. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Buddhism encourages respect for animals. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

References

1. ^ Tibet is My Country: Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the Dalai Lama as told to Heinrich Harrer, p. 151. First published in German in 1960. English translation by Edward Fitzgerald, published 1960. Reprint, with updated new chapter, (1986): Wisdom Publications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.
2. ^ Tibet and Tibetan Foods
3. ^ Yaks, butter & lamps in Tibet, webexhibits. org

External links

• http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/2892/summ
• ARKive - images and movies of the wild yak (Bos grunniens)
• h2g2 Yaks Edited Guide Entry
• International Yak Association (IYAK)
• European Yak Association (EYAK)
• Article on Yak breeds in FAO archives
• Yaks: The Official Animal of Tibet
• AnimalInfo.Org: Animal Info - Wild Yak