Strong and Shaggy Yaks

Strong and Shaggy Yaks Yaks are mammals. They belong to the animal group called livestock, and they are large farm animals raised in cold mountain regions. Yaks usually live on high mountain farms where the weather is very cold and snowy. They love to climb rocky hills and walk through open pastures. A yak's body is covered with thick, long hair and a soft woolly undercoat. This heavy coat protects them from freezing winds and deep snow. A baby yak is called a calf. A boy yak is called a bull, and a girl yak is called a cow. Yaks move around by walking and climbing slowly on four strong legs. They are sure-footed and can walk easily on steep, rocky mountain paths. Yaks reproduce by giving birth to live babies. The mother yak takes good care of her newborn calf in the high mountain pastures. Yaks like to eat grass, moss, and mountain plants. They use their strong mouths to dig through snow and find food in the winter. Yaks are very helpful to humans. People use their warm wool for clothes, their strong milk for food, and they help carry heavy loads up the mountains. Yaks help nature and the environment, too. Their grazing keeps mountain grasslands healthy and helps recycle nutrients into the soil. A special and unique thing about yaks is that they have an extra-long coat of hair that hangs down like a heavy skirt to keep their bellies warm in the snow!