Indian Yak

Indian Yak : Recently, Indian scientists successfully assembled the first chromosome-level genome of the Indian yak (Bos grunniens), a high-altitude bovine crucial to sustaining livelihoods in the Himalayan region.

• About Indian Yak: Inhabit high-altitude alpine tundra (5000–7000 m), meadows, steppes, and desert steppes.

  o Found across the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Mongolia, and parts of South-Central Asia.

  o In India: Reared in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.

  o Herbivores, feeding on grasses and alpine vegetation.

  o Domesticated yaks provide milk, meat, and serve as pack animals.

  o Used in mountain expeditions, capable of trekking up to 20,000 ft.

  o Crossbred with cattle to produce dzo or chauri gai — hardy hybrids used in agro-pastoral systems.

  o IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

  o CITES: Appendix I

  WPA, 2022: Schedule I