Female Yaks Have No-Boys-Allowed Gatherings
- 10 years ago
In recent observations the female yaks of the Tibetan Plateau were found to often migrate to the higher, more treacherous terrain, leaving the males behind.
In recent observations the female yaks of the Tibetan Plateau were found to often migrate to the higher, more treacherous terrain, leaving the males behind.
The yak population in Tibet is finally rebounding after years of poaching, but is still on the endangered list.
To see what they could do to help, researchers spent several very cold months at the Kekexili National Nature Reserve gathering data about the animals’ activities and behavior patterns.
They were particularly interested in how the different genders utilized the space, as it’s one of the key pieces of information needed to develop and institute an effective conservation plan.
Among the yak habits that stood out was the congregating of the females.
They were seen forming groups of anywhere from 30 to 200, and traversing some fairly perilous landscapes to do so.
Males, on the other hand, rarely hung around with one another at all and when they did it was just 2 or 3 of them.
The researchers believe that the female’s group formations and location selections are means of finding more food in high meadows as well as protecting the young.
It’s reasoned that predators are likely to be deterred by the safety in numbers of a larger gathering.
In recent observations the female yaks of the Tibetan Plateau were found to often migrate to the higher, more treacherous terrain, leaving the males behind.
The yak population in Tibet is finally rebounding after years of poaching, but is still on the endangered list.
To see what they could do to help, researchers spent several very cold months at the Kekexili National Nature Reserve gathering data about the animals’ activities and behavior patterns.
They were particularly interested in how the different genders utilized the space, as it’s one of the key pieces of information needed to develop and institute an effective conservation plan.
Among the yak habits that stood out was the congregating of the females.
They were seen forming groups of anywhere from 30 to 200, and traversing some fairly perilous landscapes to do so.
Males, on the other hand, rarely hung around with one another at all and when they did it was just 2 or 3 of them.
The researchers believe that the female’s group formations and location selections are means of finding more food in high meadows as well as protecting the young.
It’s reasoned that predators are likely to be deterred by the safety in numbers of a larger gathering.