Domestic yak

"Yak" redirects here. For the related species Bos mutus, see Wild yak. For other uses, see Yak (disambiguation).

The domestic yak (Bos grunniens) also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox, or hairy cattle is a long-haired domesticated bovid found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. It is descended from the wild yak (Bos mutus).^[1]

Yak
A yak in the Nepalese Himalayas.
Conservation status
Domesticated
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Bovinae
Genus:	Bos
Species:	B. grunniens
Binomial name
Bos grunniens Linnaeus, 1766

History

Scientists have used genetics and archaeology to study the history of yaks. They have found that there were domesticated yaks on the Tibetan Plateau 2,500 years ago.^[2]

Use

Yaks are kept for their milk, wool, and meat. Also, they are used for transportation. Their dried droppings are burned as fuel in fires.

References

1. Grubb, P. (2005). "Order Artiodactyla". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 691. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Louis, Washington University in St. "Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology and ancient DNA". phys.org. Retrieved 16 December 2023.