Animals that start with Y

Yak

Yaks are a lot more than just big, fluffy cows – they’re also super weird and wonderful! Come check out some of the funniest yak facts around. Follow Albert as he explores these amazing yak facts for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Click on the images to hear silly sounds and then read about fun yak facts like what do yaks look like?, what sound do yaks make?, how big are yaks?, what do yaks eat?, where do yaks live?, and more fun facts about yaks!

What do yaks look like?

Yaks are mammals which means that they are warm-blooded, have fur and they feed milk to their babies.

Yaks are hairy cows. Their long, shaggy coats are usually brown in color. They have horns and hooves and horse-like tails.

What sound do yaks make?

Click the the image to hear the sound!

Yaks don’t “moo” like cows. Instead, they grunt and squeak.

How big are yaks?

Male wild yaks can weigh as much as 2,200 pounds (1000 kilograms). That’s as much as a car!

Wild yaks can stand about 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6 feet) tall at the shoulder, and have a head and body length between 8 to 12 feet (2 to 4 meters).

What do yaks eat?

Yaks are herbivores which means that they only eat plants. They graze grasses, herbs and some shrubs.

Where do yaks live?

Yaks are found in and around the Himalayas. This is a mountain range with the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.

Yaks like to live high up in the mountains where there aren’t any trees. It’s very cold so high up. They roam areas with lots of plants for them to eat.

More fun facts about yaks for kids

Yaks live in herds. These are groups that can have several hundred yaks in them.
You can make cheese from yak milk. This cheese is so hard and chewy that it takes hours to eat and can be kept in the fridge for years!
There is a festival, or party, where people make carvings or statues from yak butter. They then make lanterns by lighting the butter.
Yaks are very good at coping with the cold. They can live in temperatures as low as -104^oF (-40^oC).
Because yaks live high in the mountains, they must be able to breathe in the thin air. Yaks have large lungs and rich blood to help them breathe well so high up.
In the winter, yaks eat snow and ice instead of drinking water. That must make them very cold!
Some people use yak butter to make tea! Yuk yak!

Sources: Wikipedia, Live Science, Creative Commons, Britannica.com and Freesound.org