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Yak

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                       iYak

                             Conservation status

   Vulnerable (VU)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Artiodactyla
   Family:  Bovidae
   Genus:   Bos
   Species: B. grunniens

                                Binomial name

   Bos grunniens
   Linnaeus, 1766

                                 Subspecies

   Bos grunniens grunniens
   Bos grunniens mutus

   The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired humped domestic bovine found
   in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, as
   well as in Mongolia. In Tibetan, the word yak refers only to the male
   of the species; a female is a dri or nak. In most languages which
   borrowed the word, including English, however, yak is usually used for
   both sexes.

   Wild yaks (subspecies B. g. mutus) stand about two meters tall at the
   shoulder. Domestic yaks are about half that height. Both types have
   long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be
   either brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males
   and females have horns.

Wild yaks

   Wild yaks can weigh 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). They usually form groups of
   between 10 and 30 animals. Their habitat is treeless uplands like
   hills, mountains and plateaux between 3,200 m (10,500 ft) and roughly
   5,400 m (18,000 ft). They eat grasses, lichens and other plants. During
   the warmest season these hardy animals live in areas of permanent snow
   and move lower down at colder times. They are insulated by dense,
   close, matted under-hair as well as their shaggy outer hair. Yaks
   secrete a special sticky substance in their sweat which helps keep
   their under-hair matted and acts as extra insulation. This secretion
   has been extracted by Nepali tribes and used in medicine. Many wild
   yaks are killed for food by the Tibetans; they are now an endangered
   species.

Domesticated yaks

   Yaks were important caravan animals, replacing camels in mountainous
   country
   Enlarge
   Yaks were important caravan animals, replacing camels in mountainous
   country

   Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fibre, and meat;
   they are also used as beasts of burden, transporting goods across
   mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as in support of
   climbing and trekking expeditions. Yak milk is often processed to a
   cheese called chhurpi in Tibetan and Nepali languages, and byaslag in
   Mongolia. Often the pack animals are actually crossbreeds of the yak
   and Bos taurus (common domestic cattle). These are known in Tibetan as
   dzo or dzopkyo.

   Yak fiber is soft and smooth, in several colors, including shades of
   gray, brown, black and white. The length of yak fiber is about 1.2
   inches. It is combed or shed from the yak and then dehaired. The result
   is a splendid downy fibre that can be spun into yarn for knitting.

   Unlike cattle, yaks grunt rather than moo. Yaks can weigh over 1200
   pounds and have a lifespan of 20-25 years.

   More recently, sports involving domesticated yaks, such as yak skiing
   or yak polo, are being marketed as tourist attractions in Central Asian
   countries.

Images

   Yaks still provide the best way to plow fields in Tibet.
   Enlarge
   Yaks still provide the best way to plow fields in Tibet.
   In Tibet, yaks are decorated and honored by the families they are part
   of. Buddhism encourages respect for animals.
   Enlarge
   In Tibet, yaks are decorated and honored by the families they are part
   of. Buddhism encourages respect for animals.
   In Manali, India, Yaks are used for transport in the mountainous
   region.
   Enlarge
   In Manali, India, Yaks are used for transport in the mountainous
   region.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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