Wild Yak
Bos mutus
🐂
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Bos
Bos mutus
The Wild Yak, Bos mutus, is a high-altitude specialist of the Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia, adapted to some of the harshest environments on Earth. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic yak (Bos grunniens) and remains a symbol of endurance in alpine cultures. Once widespread, it has been heavily reduced by hunting and habitat competition with livestock.
Description
The wild yak is a massive bovine built for cold survival. Adult males can stand 1.6–2.2 meters at the shoulder, measure up to 3.3 meters in length, and carry long, upward-curving horns up to 1 meter long. Its thick underwool and long shaggy coat insulate it against freezing Himalayan winds. Wild yaks are larger, darker, and more aggressive than their domestic descendants. They live in alpine meadows, steppe valleys, and cold desert plateaus above 3,000–6,000 meters elevation.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
550
2
3
3.25
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
For millennia, humans have hunted wild yaks for meat, hides, bones, and horns. Early Himalayan peoples relied heavily on them for survival, and domestication of Bos mutus into the domestic yak (Bos grunniens) likely occurred at least 5,000 years ago in Tibet. Hunting pressure, combined with habitat loss and hybridization, drastically reduced wild populations.
Archaeological & Cultural Evidence:
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau sites (~5,000 years ago) — Butchered yak bones found in early settlements suggest hunting and early domestication.
Karuo site (Tibet, Neolithic) — Remains of yaks associated with agricultural villages, showing their integration into early human subsistence.
Ancient Tibetan petroglyphs and carvings — Depict wild yaks as both prey and symbols of strength in ritual life.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Asia
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
33
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4