
Yak
Latin name: Bos mutus
An Exceptional Winter Coat!
- Insulated by a very dense woolly fur, it can withstand cold temperatures of up to -40°C . It is so efficient at heat conservation that the snow does not even melt under it when lying down.
- It has a rough tongue that comes in very handy when scraping encrusted lichen from surfaces, which it eats at high altitudes when vegetation becomes rare.
- The female gives birth to one calf at a time, every two years. Young yaks are able to stand only a few minutes after birth; they are occasionally preyed upon by the Tibetan wolves.
- The yak is a very precious animal to the Tibetan people; its wool is used to make blankets and clothes, its meat is tender and lean, its milk is of excellent quality and they use its excrements for fuel!
- The wild species is protected, but has nevertheless undergone a decline in the past 30 years. For its part, the domestic population is composed of nearly 12 million individuals.
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Distribution
Tibet, Nepal
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Habitat
Desert plateaus
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Diet
Herbivore
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Status
Vulnerable
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Zoo Zone
Asia