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Tibetan Yak omahahealingarts.com | [Message Board - Viewing: Faulty Yak traks]... inclineclub.com |
For other uses, see Yak (disambiguation). For the Nigerian footballer, see Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
The yak, Bos grunniens, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population.
[edit] EtymologyThe English word "yak" derives from the Tibetan (Tibetan: གཡག་; Wylie: g.yag), or gyag – in Tibetan this refers only to the male of the species, the female being called a dri or nak. In English, as in most other languages which have borrowed the word, "yak" is usually used for both sexes. [edit] TaxonomyYaks belong to the genus Bos, and are therefore closely related to cattle (Bos primigenius), with whom they commonly interbreed, as well as to other Bos species, including the Southeast Asian banteng, the gaur, and the extremely rare kouprey. [edit] CharacteristicsYaks are herd animals. Wild male yaks stand about 2 to 2.2 metres (6.6 to 7.2 ft) tall at the shoulder and average 1,000 kg (2,200 lb); the females weigh about one third of this.[2] domesticated yaks are much smaller, males weighing 350 to 580 kg (770 to 1,300 lb) and females 225 to 255 kg (500 to 560 lb).[3] Both sexes have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns. Domestic yaks mate in about September; the females may first conceive at about 3–4 years of age, calving April to June about every other or every third year, apparently depending upon food supply. This gestation period is approximately 9 months. In the absence of more data, wild animals are assumed to mirror this reproductive behavior. Calves will be weaned at one year and become independent shortly thereafter. Yaks may live to somewhat more than 20 years. [edit] Wild yaks Wild yaks (Tibetan: འབྲོང་; Wylie: 'brong) can weigh up to 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) and have a head and body length of 3 to 3.4 m (9.8 to 11 ft). They usually form herds of between 10 and 30 animals. Their habitat is treeless uplands such as hills, mountains and plateaus between 3,200 and 5,400 m (10,000 and 18,000 ft). Yak physiology is well adapted to high altitudes, having larger lungs and heart than cattle found at lower altitudes, as well as greater capacity for transporting oxygen through their blood.[4] Conversely, yaks do not thrive at lower altitudes.[5] They eat grasses, lichens and other plants.[6] They are insulated by dense, close, matted under-hair as well as their shaggy outer hair.[7] Yaks secrete a special sticky substance in their sweat which helps keep their under-hair matted and acts as extra insulation. This secretion is used in traditional Nepalese medicine. Many wild yaks are killed for food by hunters in China; they are now a vulnerable species.[8] Historically, the main natural predator of the wild yak has been the Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco). Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, reports on his journey from Kumbum in Amdo to Lhasa in 1950 that:
[edit] Domesticated yaks Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. Their dried dung is an important fuel, used all over Tibet, and is often the only fuel available on the high treeless Tibetan plateau. Yaks transport goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as for climbing and trekking expeditions. "Only one thing makes it hard to use yaks for long journeys in barren regions. They will not eat grain, which could be carried on the journey. They will starve unless they can be brought to a place where there is grass." [10] They also are used to draw ploughs. Yak milk is often processed to a cheese called chhurpi in Tibetan and Nepali languages, and byaslag in Mongolia. Butter made of Yaks' milk is an ingredient of the butter tea that Tibetans consume in large quantities,[11] and is also used in lamps and made into butter sculptures used in religious festivities.[12] Yaks grunt, and unlike cattle are not known to produce the characteristic bovine lowing sound. [edit] Yak bovid hybridsIn Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia, cattle are crossbred with yaks. This gives rise to the infertile male dzo as well as fertile females known as dzomo or zhom, which are bred into cattle breeds. The "Dwarf Lulu" breed, "the only Bos primigenius taurus type of cattle in Nepal" was tested for DNA markers and found to be a mixture of both types of cattle (B. p. taurus and B. p. indicus) with yak genes.[13] Crosses between yaks and domestic cattle (Bos primigenius taurus) have been recorded in Chinese literature for at least 3,000 years. "Crossbred females are an important source of milk and dairy products. Since males cannot be used for breeding, they are used as draught animals or are slaughtered for meat. These hybrids are very suitable for work as they are easily tamed and have better heat tolerance than pure yak." An experimental cross, a hybrid of a yak and a Bison (American "buffalo") produced by selective breeding is called a yakalo.[14]
[edit] Yak fiberEach yak produces around 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) annually of a mixture of hair and fine downy fiber; high-yielding types may produce as much as 25 kg (55 lb).[15] The fiber is combed or shed from the yak, and the hair separated from the down. The hair is used to make ropes, rugs, wigs and various other products. The down is soft and smooth and about 3 cm (1.2 in) 1.2 inches long, and it can be spun into yarn for knitting. The average fineness of down from an adult yak is 18-20 microns, while the length is around 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in). Yaks that live in higher altitudes have finer fiber. The most common natural color of the yak is a dark chocolate brown, but can also be found in white, tan, and grey. Unlike wool, the scales of yak fiber are in a waved mosaic pattern, resulting in a very smooth fiber that does not itch. Yak hide is used to make shoes and bags and in the construction of coracle-like boats. [edit] In sportIn parts of Tibet, yak racing is considered a high source of entertainment at traditional Tibetan festivals. More recently, sports involving domesticated yaks, such as yak skiing, or yak polo, are being marketed as tourist attractions in Central Asian countries. [edit] Gallery
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