Most yaks are domesticated, but wild populations still exist – this animal is in Nepal.

© Nature Picture Library/Getty

What’s the highest-living land animal?

BBC Wildlife section editor Sarah McPherson answers your wild question. 

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Sarah McPherson

Published: September 9, 2015 at 6:36 am

The yak is a strong contender for this title (as long as we’re talking about earthbound animals, rather than any that have been sent into orbit). These large, shaggy, mainly domesticated bovines live in the Himalaya at altitudes as extreme as 6,000m. The animals are superbly adapted for such high lives – the combination of a dense, furry undercoat and a long, shaggy overcoat keeps out the bitter mountain chill; their limited sweat glands conserve heat; and their large lungs, together with a particularly high red-blood-cell count, retain oxygen. Other enthusiasts for elevation include the snow leopard, which lives as high as 5,400m, also in the Himalaya; and the vicuña, the wild ancestor of the alpaca, which survives up to 5,800m in the Andes.

Sarah McPherson

Features editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Sarah is features editor for BBC Wildlife Magazine. She has been on the title for more than a decade, and in previous lives has also been the magazine’s section editor, acting deputy editor and production editor. Sarah commissions scientists, writers and photographers from across the globe, and has worked with some of the world’s most renowned wildlife experts. She also regularly writes features - on topics ranging from birding in Colombia to the plight of wildlife rangers - and other content for both the magazine and the website.
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