A dzo (also spelled zo, zho and dzho, bo, མཛོ་, mdzo) is a
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
between the
yak and domestic
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a or . In
Mongolian, it is called a (хайнаг). There is also the English language
portmanteau term of yattle, a combination of the words yak and cattle, as well as yakow, a combination of the words yak and cow.
Dzomo are
fertile (or,
fecund
Fecundity is defined in two ways; in human demography, it is the potential for reproduction of a recorded population as opposed to a sole organism, while in population biology, it is considered similar to fertility, the natural capability to pr ...
) while dzo are
sterile. As they are a product of the hybrid genetic phenomenon of
heterosis
Heterosis, hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. An offspring is heterotic if its traits are enhanced as a result of mixing the genetic contributions o ...
(hybrid vigor), they are larger and stronger than yak or cattle from the region. In Mongolia and Tibet, khainags are thought to be more productive than cattle or yaks in terms of both milk and meat production.
Dzomo can be
back crossed. As a result, many supposedly pure yak or pure cattle probably carry each other's genetic material. In
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, the result of a crossed with either a domestic bull or yak bull is called (ортоом, three-quarter-bred) and an crossed with a domestic bull or yak bull results in a (усан гүзээ, one-eighth-bred).
Dzo inherit two different types of proteins, one from each parent, and their mitochondrial structure and function changes.
[ Long, L., Zhu, Y., Li, Z., Zhang, H., Liu, L., & Bai, J. (2020). Differential expression of skeletal muscle mitochondrial proteins in yak, dzo, and cattle: a proteomics-based study. The Journal of veterinary medical science, 82(8), 1178–1186. https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.19-0218 ] This significantly changes the dzo's ability to survive in higher altitudes than both parents can.
See also
*
Bovid hybrid
*
Yakalo
The yakalo is a cross of the yak (''Bos grunniens'') and the American bison (''Bison bison'', known as a buffalo in North America). It was produced by hybridisation experiments in the 1920s, when crosses were made between yak bulls and both pur ...
, a yak/buffalo (American bison) hybrid
References
External links
*
*
Bovid hybrids
{{cattle-stub