The East Asian Yak, Amazingly Suited For Their Locale
Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
Some may have heard the following yoke--er, uh joke. This Tibetan farmer awakened one morning and when he stepped out onto the porch of his shanty, he was startled to see his barn ablaze. He grabbed his head in his hands and screamed, “Oh, my baking yak!”
Once you stop rolling with laughter, we’ll discuss this animal, the yak. In English we use the term yak when referring to these animals but it is actually the title for the male of the species. The female is called a dri, or nak in Tibet. So as to begin with an understanding of this animal, they resemble a long haired cow. But there is a considerable difference in this animal from the cow besides the long hair. They belong to the same genus, Bos, which is understandable. By the way, that is why many cows have been referred to as Bossy over the years.
Domesticated yaks come in a variety of sizes and colors. From their appearance, they would seem to look very much like our cattle, though perhaps more stocky and strongly built. In fact, they might look a little more like buffalo. It is difficult to discern their exact build with the enormous amount of hair they have which hangs almost to their feet.
Yaks are heavily built animals with a sturdy frame, short legs, and rounded hooves. They have small ears and a wide forehead, with smooth hollow horns that are generally dark in colour. In males, the horns sweep out from the sides of the head, and then curve forward; they typically range from 48 to 99 centimetres (19 to 39 in) in length. The horns of females are smaller, only 27 to 64 centimetres (11 to 25 in) in length, and have a more upright shape. Both sexes have a short neck with a pronounced hump over the shoulders, although this is larger and more visible in males. Yaks are highly friendly in nature and can easily be domesticated. There has been very little documented aggression from yaks towards human beings. (Yak: Wikipedia)
There are also wild yak which are even larger than most of those which are domesticated. Their adult weight varies from just under 1,000 up to 2,200 pounds. Stats for the domesticated breeds are around half that amount, up to about 1,300 pounds. The wild ones body/head length reaches some 8.2 to11 feet, quite large.
In this frigid and poor country, these animals are a mainstay. A necessity. They are used as beasts of burden, and also for meat and milk. They are uniquely suited for their high altitude location. They have larger lungs and hearts than our cattle which can transfer more oxygen into their blood system where the air is much thinner than at lower levels. In fact, it is reported that they do not thrive a lower levels. They begin to suffer from heat exhaustion at 59-60 degrees F. In addition to their higher capacity blood system and their heavy coats (even on their lower sides, chest and stomach), their body has an unusually thick layer of subcutaneous fat and have almost no functional sweat glands.
These docile animals seem to be wonderful and those who live in such circumstances must be extremely thankful. The beautiful photography from the area may make one yearn to even live there. But not me. No one loves animals more than I, but all is not well that which meets the eye here. First of all, it would take several strong men to bind me and take me to a place with such a cold climate.
Also, sources report that the odors from the yaks are strongest of any domesticated animal and according to Wikipedia, is similar to a mixture of cow manure and wet dog. This is presumed to be primarily due to their heavy coat of hair and their urine and fecal materials become trapped in their coat. Ugh. And the exiled Dalai Lama longs to return there!
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