Yak

Yak facts at a glance

How big is a yak?

An adult yak measures 3.3 m long — about 1.9× the height of an average adult person (1.73 m) — and weighs around 600 kg, about 8.6× an average adult’s body weight (70 kg).

What is a group of yaks called?

Explore more animal collective nouns and baby animal names .

Built for thin, freezing air

Yaks are superbly adapted to high altitude. A dense, shaggy coat and a thick undercoat keep out cold that would kill most cattle, while large lungs and oxygen-rich blood let them work in air too thin for lowland animals. They are most comfortable in the cold and can overheat at low elevations.

The mountain workhorse

For the peoples of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, the domestic yak is indispensable. It carries loads across high passes, plows fields, and provides milk, butter, meat, wool, and even dung for fuel. Yaks grunt rather than moo, which gives the wild species its name, Bos mutus, the 'mute ox.'

Wild yaks

Wild yaks are much larger and darker than their domestic cousins, with bulls standing around 2 m (6.5 ft) at the shoulder. They roam remote, treeless uplands in herds and are far more formidable, capable of defending themselves against wolves.

Conservation

While domestic yaks number in the millions, the wild yak is listed as Vulnerable, reduced by hunting and by competition and interbreeding with domestic herds. Remote protected areas on the Tibetan Plateau are key to the wild yak's future.

Did you know? Yak facts

• The yak is a large, long-haired ox adapted to the cold, thin air of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.
• Yaks live on the high mountains and plateaus of Central Asia, especially the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, often above 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
• Domestic yaks are used as pack and plow animals and provide milk, butter, meat, wool, and dung for fuel, making them central to life in the high mountains.
• Domestic yaks are abundant, but the larger wild yak is listed as Vulnerable due to hunting and competition with domestic herds.
• Yaks have large lungs, oxygen-rich blood, and a thick shaggy coat, letting them work and stay warm in cold, thin mountain air where other cattle cannot.
• Conservation: Wild yak: Vulnerable (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

Yak feeds primarily as a herbivore. Yaks are superbly adapted to high altitude. A dense, shaggy coat and a thick undercoat keep out cold that would kill most cattle, while large lungs and oxygen-rich blood let them work in air too thin for lowland animals. They are most comfortable in the cold and can overheat at low e

Adaptations

• Yaks are superbly adapted to high altitude. A dense, shaggy coat and a thick undercoat keep out cold that would kill most cattle, while large lungs and oxygen-rich blood let them work in air too thin for lowland animals. They are most comfortable in the cold and can overheat at low elevations.
• For the peoples of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, the domestic yak is indispensable. It carries loads across high passes, plows fields, and provides milk, butter, meat, wool, and even dung for fuel. Yaks grunt rather than moo, which gives the wild species its name, Bos mutus, the 'mute ox.'

Behaviour & ecology

• Yaks are superbly adapted to high altitude. A dense, shaggy coat and a thick undercoat keep out cold that would kill most cattle, while large lungs and oxygen-rich blood let them work in air too thin for lowland animals. They are most comfortable in the cold and can overheat at low elevations.
• For the peoples of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, the domestic yak is indispensable. It carries loads across high passes, plows fields, and provides milk, butter, meat, wool, and even dung for fuel. Yaks grunt rather than moo, which gives the wild species its name, Bos mutus, the 'mute ox.'
• Wild yaks are much larger and darker than their domestic cousins, with bulls standing around 2 m (6.5 ft) at the shoulder. They roam remote, treeless uplands in herds and are far more formidable, capable of defending themselves against wolves.

Communication

• Yak uses scent, posture, and vocal signals to mark territory and coordinate social behaviour.
• Communication intensity often peaks during breeding seasons and territorial disputes.

Habitat & range

High mountain plateau and alpine tundra

Ecological role

Yak shapes vegetation through grazing or browsing and serves as prey for larger predators where ranges overlap.

Conservation status of the Yak

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Yak:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Bos grunniens.

• iNaturalist — observations & photos

  Search citizen-science observations and community IDs for Bos grunniens. Useful for range checks and recent sightings — not a substitute for formal Red List status.

• GBIF — occurrence data

  Global Biodiversity Information Facility species search for Bos grunniens. Explore published occurrence records used in range research.

• IUCN Red List — Bos grunniens.

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Bos grunniens. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — Yak.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.