Wild yak
Bos mutus (Przewalski, 1883)
The wild yak (Bos mutus) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Bovini, within the order Artiodactyla. The IUCN Red List assesses the wild yak globally as Vulnerable (VU), which is a threatened category.
Quick facts about the wild yak
Its habitat is grassland, and its gestation period is 258 days.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- grasslandsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 258 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the wild yak
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the wild yak live?
Not recorded
What is the wild yak?
The wild yak (Bos mutus) is a large, wild bovine native to the Himalayas. It is the ancestor of the domestic yak (Bos grunniens).
From the Wikipedia article “Wild yak” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wild_yak&oldid=1379905807), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the wild yak endangered?
The wild yak is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the wild yak classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyBovidae
- genusBos
- SpeciesBos mutus (Przewalski, 1883)
Synonyms Bison grunniens, Bison poephagus, Bisonus poephagus, Bos grunniens mutus, Bos grunniens mutus, Bos poephagus, Poephagus gruniens, Poephagus grunniens domesticus, Poephagus grunniens mutus, Poephagus mutus
Other names and names in other languages (31)
- YakEnglish
- YakEnglish
- ياقArabic
- خشقاءArabic
- قوتاشArabic
- ياكArabic
- قطاس بريArabic
- ياك بريArabic
- jak divokýCzech
- YakokseDanish
- GrunzochseGerman
- Yak salvajeSpanish
- Yak sauvageFrench
- יאק הביתHebrew
- יאק הברHebrew
- יאק מבויתHebrew
- vadjakHungarian
- ՅակArmenian
- ノヤクJapanese
- 야생야크Korean
- VilljakNorwegian Bokmål
- Wilde JakDutch
- jak dzikiPolish
- IaquePortuguese
- Iaque SelvagemPortuguese
- ЯкRussian
- vildjakSwedish
- சடை மாடுTamil
- Yabani Tibet Sığırı (Yabani Yak)Turkish
- Як дикийUkrainian
- 氂牛 犛牛 牦牛Chinese
Relatives of the wild yak
Other species in the same genus Bos.
Aurochs
Bos primigenius
Gaur
Bos gaurus
Yak
Bos grunniens
Banteng
Bos javanicus
Kouprey
Bos sauveli
Gaur
Bos frontalis
CompareWild yak vs AurochsWild yak vs GaurWild yak vs YakWild yak vs Banteng
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the wild yak?
The wild yak is a mammal in the family Bovidae, part of the order Artiodactyla and the genus Bos.
What is the scientific name of the wild yak?
The scientific name of the wild yak is Bos mutus. It is also called the yak in English.
Is the wild yak endangered?
The wild yak is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, in its global assessment.
What habitat does the wild yak live in?
The wild yak lives in grassland.
How long is the wild yak's gestation period?
The wild yak's gestation period is 258 days.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Wild yak (Bos mutus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/wild-yak
“Wild yak (Bos mutus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/wild-yak.
@misc{wild_yak_2026,
title = {Wild yak (Bos mutus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/wild-yak},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}