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Yaks!

by Naomi C. Rose

THE ANIMAL THAT DOES IT ALL!

What animal gives milk like a cow,
grows wool like a sheep, and
grunts like a pig?
A yak!

Like cows, yaks give milk. Yak milk is creamier than cow's milk. Farmers churn the milk into butter, yogurt, and cheese.

Like sheep, the yak grows a wooly coat. Farmers and nomads use yak hair for blankets, tents, clothes, and ropes.

And like pigs, yaks grunt. Usually quiet, yaks make low grunts when they're upset, hungry, or calling their young.

YAKS

Yaks are shaggy-haired oxen. They live among the highest mountains of the world - the Himalayas of Central Asia. It's very cold in the mountains, but yaks stay warm in their thick wool coats.

Both male and female yaks have curved horns that stick out from the side of their heads. When looking for grass to eat, yaks use their horns to dig under snow. Yaks also use their horns to fight off predators.

Yaks have big hooves that act as perfect snowshoes for scrambling up icy slopes, few sweat glands so they can better maintain their body heat, and extra red blood cells to help them absorb more oxygen in the high altitudes.

When yaks run, they hold their horse-like tails straight up in the air.

Domestic Yaks

Himalayan farmers and nomads raise domestic yaks for food, clothing, transportation, and fuel (yak dung) for cooking and heating. Farmers also use yaks for tilling fields and carrying heavy loads. Domestic yaks are becoming more popular in the United States. You can find them at farms and zoos.

Wild Yaks

Huge herds of wild yaks once roamed the high country of the Himalayas. Poachers and hunters killed so many that now the wild yak is considered an endangered species.

Yak Facts

Popular names: Grunting ox
Animal Family: Bovine
Scientific name: Bos grunniens
Color: Gold, brown, white, (wild yaks are usually black)
Weight: Up to 2000 pounds (wild yaks are much bigger than domestic)
Shoulder height: Up to 6 feet
Body length: Up to 11 feet
Horn length: Up to 40 inches in males; up to 20 inches in females
Births: One young born to female yaks each spring
Gestation (length of pregnancy): 9 months
Main predator: Tibetan wolf
Favorite food: Grass, herbs, and twigs
Favorite drink: Lots of water