Yak Facts

Here are our top ten favorite facts about yaks.

1. Over 90% of the world's yak population of nearly 15 million lives on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas.
2. Lamps in Tibetan monasteries are fueled by yak fat.
3. Yak cheese has higher amounts of heart-healthy fats than cheese from dairy cattle.
4. Yak polo, played on yaks instead of horses, was pioneered in Mongolia ten years ago.
5. The average male yak weighs about 450 kg or 1,000 pounds.
6. The first yakalo, a cross between a yak and an American bison, was produced through selective breeding in Alberta, Canada in 2000.
7. A major use of the coarse yak tail hair is for fake beards used in Chinese opera.
8. In local communities, yak bone is often made into exquisite handicrafts, including combs, buttons and ornaments.
9. The only natural predator of the wild yak is the Tibetan wolf.
10. In Mongolia yak milk is fermented in a leather pouch and distilled as a "milk wine" called archi.