Bos grunniens
Silhouette: Zimices · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The yak (Bos grunniens) is a species of long-haired domesticated Asian cattle found throughout the Himalayan region, the Tibetan Plateau, Tajikistan, the Pamir Mountains, and as far north as Mongolia and Siberia. It is descended from the wild yak (Bos mutus).
The English word Yak originates from the Tibetan: གཡག་, Wylie: g.yag. In Tibetan and Balti it refers only to the male of the species, the female being called Tibetan: འབྲི་, Wylie: 'bri or Tibetan: གནག, Wylie: gnag in Tibetan and Tibetan: ཧཡག་མོ་, Wylie: hYag-mo in Balti. In English, as in most other languages that have borrowed the word, yak is usually used for both sexes, with bull or cow referring to each sex separately.
Belonging to the genus Bos, yaks are related to cattle and bison. Mitochondrial DNA analyses to determine the evolutionary history of yaks have been inconclusive. The yak may have diverged from cattle at any point between one and five million years ago, and there is some suggestion that it may be more closely related to bison than to the other members of its designated genus. Apparent close fossil relatives of the yak, such as Bos baikalensis, have been found in eastern Russia... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hemis National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Zürich Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 3 | Cabarceno Natural Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Kolmården Wildlife Park | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 6 | Rostov Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Dalian forest zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Safaripark Beekse Bergen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Serengeti Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Tierpark Sababurg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Knowsley Safari Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 14 | Grant's Farm | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Wildlife Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 17 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 18 | Planète Sauvage | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Highland Wildlife Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 20 | Shanghai Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 21 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Shenzhen Safari Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 23 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Zoo Gdańsk | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 25 | Lake Tobias Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Mogilyov Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 27 | Orana Wildlife Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 28 | The Exotic Resort Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 30 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 31 | Leofoo Village Theme Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 32 | Chongqing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 33 | Parc Safari | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 34 | Tuzoofari | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 35 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 36 | Карельский зоопарк | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 37 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 38 | Nanning Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 39 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 40 | Safari Niagara | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 41 | Granby Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 42 | Olympic Game Farm | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 44 | Taigan Safari Park | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 45 | Pine Grove Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Aloha Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 47 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 48 | Zoosafari Fasanolandia | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 49 | Parken Zoo | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 50 | Riverview Park & Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Domestic Yak sighting in Langtang National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Domestic Yak in Langtang National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. That is one of Langtang National Park's wettest months, with about 220 mm of rain against 10 mm in November. July to September have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Domestic Yak sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Domestic Yak sightings, Langtang National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Hemis National Park (India, about 40%).
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Domestic Yak that you can see in Langtang National Park (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Himalayan Tahr (about 40%) and Grey Himalayan Goral (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Domestic Yak is recorded against all the mammals logged in Langtang National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
