About Yak

A yak is an animal that has long hair with short legs. It comes under the category of cattle, buffalo, and bison. Yak are mostly found in high-altitude areas such as Tibet, and Central Asia. Since they mostly live in cold areas with less number of plants they have to travel a large distance in search of grasses to eat. In the winter season, they sometimes eat the snow.

Yak are of two types - Domestic Yak and Wild Yak. Domestic yak is used by people for domestic work such as carrying and bullying heavy loads and on the other hand, Wild yak lives in wild areas. Wild yak has blackish-brown hairs and very large horns.

Yak

Yak Animal Information

A yak is an animal that mostly lives in cold areas with less number of plants. They have to travel a large distance in search of grasses to eat. In the winter season, they sometimes eat the snow. There are two types of Yak: Domestic Yak and Wild Yak. The Scientific name of Yak is Bos grunniens. Yaks are found in open hills and alpine meadows. They are herbivorous in nature which means they feed on grass and leaves.

Yak

Yak Cart

A yak cart is a two-wheeled or sometimes four-wheeled vehicle pulled by a yak. It is one of the modes of transportation used in high-altitude areas to carry and bully heavy loads. In a Yak cart, the cart is connected by a yak. The driver sits in the front of the cart and the load is placed at the back.

Facts About Yak

• The main food of yak is grass and herbs.

• The name of the young yak is a calf.

• A yak comes under the category of mammals.

• The lifespan of yak is generally 15-20 yrs.

• The yak generally weighs from 300-1000kg.

• Similar to goats, cow yaks also produce milk all year round. As compared to goats they produce eight times more than a goat.

• Yaks are one the integral parts of the culture and social functions in hilly areas.

Uses of Yak 

• The milk of yak is used to make butter and many other dairy products.

• The yak meat of yak is eaten by many people.

• They are used as transportation in hilly areas.

• The yak dung also acts as the main source of fuel in mountain areas.

• The yak is also used by farmers to do ploughing, threshing etc.

Learning by Doing:

Sample Questions 

1. In which of the region yaks are found ______________.

• Ladakh

• Uttarakhand

• Himachal Pradesh

Ans: Ladakh

2. Which animal is found in Hilly areas?

• Lion

• Yak

• Tiger

Ans: Yak

3. Name the animal given below.

Yak

Summary

In the above section, we discussed yak animals. We briefly provided an introduction to the yak animal and also discussed its corresponding features. Yak are mostly found in high-altitude areas such as Tibet, and Central Asia. The yak generally comes under the category of buffalo, cattle and bison. The Scientific name of Yak is Bos grunniens. Yak are of two types: Domestic Yak and Wild Yak. In the later section, we discussed yak carts which are used as transportation in hilly areas.