Yak

CLASS

Mammals

FAMILY

Bovidae

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Bos grunniens

WHERE IS IN THE PARK

Safari

The yak is an Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulate) mammal of the Bovidae family. Although currently spread over a vast area of central Asia due to farming practices, the wild yak lives only in the Tibetan plateau.
In the wild, the adult individuals reach impressive dimensions: the males can exceed 200 cm in shoulder height, 300 cm of length and more than a ton of weigh. The females are much smaller, and the captive populations are about half the size of the wild yaks. The yak is characterized by a dense long fur, whose colour ranges from dark brown to black. The horns are large and curved upwards. This bovine prefers cool climates and can be observed in different environments such as alpine meadows and steppes, deserts and high altitude steppes. It feeds on grasses, mosses and lichens. The wild yaks live in herds and spend most of the day grazing. The herds are composed of between 20 and 200 individuals. The maximum life expectancy for a wild yak is approximately 25 years.

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