# Yak (*Bos grunniens*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/yak  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The yak (Bos grunniens), also called the grunting ox or domestic yak, is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Bovini. It is a giant, terrestrial and diurnal herbivore, with an adult body mass of 416.5 kg and reported values from 350 kg to 1 tonne. Its gestation period is 272 days, a litter has 1 young, and it reaches sexual maturity at 2 years. Its lifespan is given as 25 years, with a highest reported value of 26.3 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 350 kg – 1 t |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 25 years – 26.3 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 258 days – 272 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.03 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.775 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Bos
- species: *Bos grunniens* Linnaeus, 1766

Synonyms: *Bos grunniens grunniens*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a yak?

The yak is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the genus Bos, within the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is a yak?

An adult yak has a body mass of 416.5 kg, with reported values from 350 kg to 1 tonne.

### What does a yak eat?

The yak is a herbivore.

### How long does a yak live?

The yak's lifespan is given as 25 years, with a highest reported value of 26.3 years.

### How long is a yak's gestation period?

A yak's gestation period is 272 days, and a litter has 1 young.

### When does a yak reach sexual maturity?

A yak reaches sexual maturity at 2 years (742.5 days).

### Who named the yak?

The yak, Bos grunniens, was named by Linnaeus, 1766.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Yak (Bos grunniens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/yak