Why did Nikolay Przhevalsky designate the wild yak with the name Bos mutus, translating to "mute bull"?
Answer
He mistakenly believed the wild form was entirely silent
Nikolay Przhevalsky designated the wild yak as *Bos mutus* in 1883, based on the Latin translation meaning "mute bull." This designation stemmed from an initial, albeit incorrect, observation that the wild population was silent. Although the wild yak does produce sounds, specifically a loud grunt primarily during its breeding season, the name *mutus* persisted as the common designation for the wild species, even though current taxonomic consensus often prefers this distinct name over treating it merely as a subspecies.
Related Questions
What sound characteristic earned the domestic yak the name Bos grunniens given by Linnaeus?Why did Nikolay Przhevalsky designate the wild yak with the name Bos mutus, translating to "mute bull"?What closer evolutionary relationship do current genomic evidence and mitochondrial DNA analyses suggest yaks share?What is the IUCN conservation status listed for the wild yak, *B. mutus*, which is protected under CITES Appendix I?What is the taxonomic implication if genomic data confirming a closer link between yaks and bison proves accurate for the genus *Bos*?Which historical classification placed the yak in a separate genus or subgenus due to its physiological distance from lowland cattle?What specific profound physiological adaptations enable yaks to survive high altitudes where cattle suffer from altitude sickness?How does the Tibetan language classification of yaks based on sex contrast with generalized Western nomenclature?What is the significance of maintaining *Bos mutus* as the officially recognized entity for conservation status tracking, despite academic discussions about paraphyly?What evidence points toward the domestication of the wild yak occurring over 2,500 years ago on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau?