Help Save the Wild Yak!

By Ms. Kirby;
Biology Teacher
VMHS

Bos Mutus

Background Information: The wild yak lives in the alpine tundra of Asia, in the high mountains of China and Tibet. Adults stand 6 1/2 feet tall and can weigh 1800 lbs. They have long, wooly, shaggy coats, and dense dark hair. Both males and females have curved horns. Yaks morning and night, and travels long distances. They migrate to high snowy areas in the summer months and travel down to lower elevation in the cooler months as they can withstand very cold temperatures. They are highly adapted to these the freezing tundra and seem to prefer the cool temperatures. The females and young tend to stay in groups, while the males will often travel alone. The wild yak is an herbivore that consumes vegetation such as lichens and grasses. Wild yaks do not respond well to human interference, and will often flee in the presence of humans. Yaks reproduce annually with each female giving birth to one calf each year. The gestation period is nine months. A wild yak’s maximum lifespan is 23 years.

Range of Wild Yak

Works Cited:
Reproduction and conservation of wild yaks
X. X. Zhao and R. C. Zhang
www.ivis.org/advances/Zhao/lu/IVIS
I love Yaks
Bob Smith
www.coolyaks.edu
YAKS’R’US
Mary Yaks A-Lot
www.yaks.com

Classification
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Bos
Species: Mutus

Current Population:
In 1995: Less than 15,000.
In 2003: Less than 10,000 individuals
Reduction Cause: Though the yak’s natural predator is the wolf, their biggest threat today is hunting and climate change. Another threat is brreding with domestic yaks, as well as competition with livestock for food.
Conservation Strategies: Preserve habitat of yak by limiting livestock grazing. Regulate hunting and enforce regulation.

yak: primary consumer

Wolf: secondary consumer

Fungi: decomposer

Lichen: producer

grass: producer

Artic hare: primary consumer

Food web