A domestic yak kept on the Tibetan Plateau and elsewhere. Its long shaggy coat protects it from the cold.
It has high humped shoulders and a tail covered with long hair. Most domestic yaks have horns curving outward and upward.
How does a yak's gut use the grasses it eats? Researchers studied 30 grazing female yaks, about two and a half years old, at three sites on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: 3,600, 4,000 and 4,500 metres above sea level. In the groups at 4,000 and 4,500 metres, six fatty acids in feces, including acetic and propionic acids, were lower than in the 3,600-metre group.
Fecal bacterial diversity was also lower in the 4,500-metre group, and the mix of bacteria differed among sites. Some bacterial groups were associated with the amounts of acetic and propionic acids. These fatty acids are produced when gut microbes ferment plant material. The samples were collected in September 2024.
IUCN Red List field (as displayed by ASM Mammal Diversity Database) · Not Evaluated (NE) · ASM MDD domestic-yak profile (Bos grunniens)
The ASM Mammal Diversity Database lists the IUCN Red List field for domestic yak (Bos grunniens) as Not Evaluated (NE). It describes B. grunniens as the domesticated form of wild yak (B. mutus). This status entry is scoped to the domestic-yak profile; it does not give a status for wild-yak populations.