YAK 



407 



V.,A„.. 



Skull of Male Yak. From a specimen in the British Museum, 

 presented by A. O. Hume, C.B. 



YAK (Bos grunniens). 



The plateau of Tibet is remarkable for the number of its peculiar 

 mammals, among which is the yak. Apparently its nearest relatives 

 are the bisons, but the yak has not the great elevation of the withers 

 in comparison with the hind-quarters so distinctive of the latter, and 

 the long hair forms a fringe on each side of the flanks, shoulders, and 

 thighs, as well as a tuft on the chest, while the tail is clothed with a 

 huge mass of similar long hair, forming, when cut off and mounted, the 

 well-known " chowries." Yak horns are much larger than those of 

 living bison, and have a totally different curvature ; while there are 

 also important differences in the skull. Height at shoulder from about 

 4 feet 10 inches to at least 5^ feet; girth behind shoulder, 9 feet i-^- 

 inches ; length from between horns to base of tail, 8 feet h inch ; 



