The habitat of B. grunniens can vary, but mainly consists of three areas with different vegetation: Alpine meadow, alpine steppe, and desert steppe (Schaller & Wulin, 1996). Each habitat features large areas of grassland, but differ in the type of grasses/small shrubs, amount of vegetation, average temperature, and precipitation.

The habitat for B. grunniens can also be dependent on the season. Some herds will migrate large distances seasonally to feed on grass, moss, and lichens. However, B. grunniens by most accounts does not care for warm weather and, preferring the colder temperatures of the plateaus, will return when seasonal temperatures start to warm (Buchholtz, 1990).

In more recent years, B. grunniens has been increasingly confined to the desert steppe. This is in part due to the fact that farmers moving into the region don't find the land and minimal precipitation (50-100 mm/yr) desirable. Yaks are thus not disturbed by human activities in this region (Schaller & Wulin, 1996).

Range elevation: 3200 to 5400 m.

Average elevation: 4500 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; polar ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; mountains