Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 92
At Gorkhi, purebred yaks,
Bos grunniens
, have been crossbred with cattle. The
hybrid animals are well adapted to the intermediate altitudes of central Mongolia.
Because wild yaks are adapted to high altitude, the animals that have
done well in these rich grasslands tend to be hybrids. The yaks in the Gorkhi
Valley have been crossbred with cattle, and have blossomed into a variety
of colors. The male hybrids are sterile, but the females are fertile and can be
crossed further. The hybrids are not as thickly pelted or as physiologically
well adapted to altitude as their Tibetan relatives.
Peter Savolainen and Chinese collaborators have carried out genetic stud-
yak populations show that the domesticated yaks have inherited two dif er-
ent lineages of wild yak mitochondrial DNA. These workers have followed
