What evidence points toward the domestication of the wild yak occurring over 2,500 years ago on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau?
Answer
Physical evidence documented from that specific region and timeframe
The process of domestication, which involved turning the wild yak (*B. mutus*) into the domestic form (*B. grunniens*), is dated by physical evidence to have occurred over 2,500 years ago. The specific geographical location where this transformation took place is identified as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is generally accepted that this process involved the initial domestication of wild stock, rather than simply cross-breeding *B. mutus* with pre-existing Asiatic cattle breeds, although hybridization has certainly been common in the time following the initial domestication event.
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