Wild Yak

About this species

Size

Shoulder height 160–205cm; head and body 240–380cm; tail 60–100cm

Weight

0.5–1.2 tonnes

Diet

Grasses and sedges (Carex, Stipa, Kobresia); also herbs, shrubs, mosses and lichen

Habitat

Treeless uplands at about 3,000–5,500m

Range

Northern Tibet and western Qinghai, extending into Ladakh in India

The wild yak is a large wild bovine, the ancestor of the domestic yak. Adults stand 160–205 cm at the shoulder and weigh 0.5–1.2 tonnes, with a head and body length of 240–380 cm. The tail is long and horse-like, and the coat is typically black or dark brown with a grey muzzle. Golden-brown individuals, called wild golden yaks, have been reported (Wikipedia, general species account).

It occurs mainly in northern Tibet and western Qinghai, extending into Ladakh in India, in treeless uplands at 3,000–5,500 m. Its diet is mostly grasses and sedges such as Carex, Stipa and Kobresia, with smaller amounts of herbs, shrubs, mosses and even lichen. Females with young choose high, steep slopes for grazing. The Himalayan wolf has been its main natural predator, and bears and snow leopards are reported to take the young or infirm (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)