Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Ovibos
Species: Moschatus
The Musk Ox is an incredible animal. It is perfectly adapted to live in some of the harshest environments in the world. They can be found in places like northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Norway, Sweden and Russia. They thrive in cold, icy places that are covered by snow most of the year. The temperatures can plummet to well below zero but with their thick layers of fur, the oxen don’t even notice. These large animals can find food such as lichens, grass and shrubs though layers of snow in even the coldest and darkest winters.
• They are herbivores
• They weigh between 500 and 800 pounds
• They are social animals and live in herds
• Herds are usually 24-36 animals
• These herds cooperate to defend against predators like wolves
• They live between 12 to 20 years
• On average they stand between 4 to 5 feet high at the shoulder
• In the summer they graze like any other animal
• In the winter they use their hooves to dig through the snow to get to the plants underneath
• They have long thick layers of hair that protect them from the extreme cold
• The inner fur is thick and soft like wool
• The outer hair is long and brown and protects the inner layer
• Native Alaskans call the Musk Ox oomingmak which means “the bearded one”
• During the summer they shed their thick coats
• They are closely related to goats and sheep
• They are usually between 6 and 7.5 feet long
• They are called Musk Ox because they have a gland under their eyes that produces a strong smell they use to mark their territory
For a while there were no Musk Ox in Alaska. They were hunted to extinction for their hides and because they are easy targets for human hunters. However, in the 1930s scientists brought 34 over from Greenland. They were brought to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks where they started a new herd. They were then moved to Nunivak Island and fiercely protected. Little by little the scientists have been reintroducing them into the wild in Alaska. They have been thriving ever since, and while they are still protected they are no longer endangered
