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Dzo
Hybrid between the yak and domestic cattle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A dzo (Standard Tibetan: མཛོ་, romanized: mdzo) is a hybrid between the yak and domestic cattle. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a dzomo or zhom. In Mongolian, it is called a khainag (хайнаг). There is also the English portmanteau term of yattle—a combination of the words yak and cattle,[1] as well as yakow[2][3]—a combination of the words yak and cow.
Dzomo are fertile (or fecund), while dzo are sterile. As they are a product of the hybrid genetic phenomenon of heterosis (hybrid vigor), they are larger and stronger than yak or cattle from the region.[4] In Mongolia and Tibet, khainags are thought to be more productive than cattle or yaks in terms of both milk and meat production.[5][6]
Dzomo can be back crossed. As a result, many supposedly pure yak or pure cattle probably carry each other's genetic material. In Mongolia, the result of a khainag crossed with either a domestic bull or yak bull is called ortoom (ортоом, three-quarter-bred) and an ortoom crossed with a domestic bull or yak bull results in a usan güzee (усан гүзээ, one-eighth-bred).[6][7]
Dzos inherit two distinct protein types, one from each parent, leading to alterations in their mitochondrial structure and function.[8] Consequently, this adaptation significantly enhances the dzo's capacity to thrive at higher altitudes compared to either parent.
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Scrabble
The word "dzo" can also be spelt "zho" or "zo". Especially in the zo spelling it is an extremely useful word in Scrabble.
See also
- Bovid hybrid
- Yakalo, a yak-buffalo hybrid
References
External links
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