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.