Looking like a creature from the last ice age, which is exactly what they are, musk ox are actually more closely related to sheep and goats than their name might suggest. One of the largest goats in the world as a result, musk ox can reach a height of 4-5 feet at the withers (the shoulders). The largest males can weigh up to 900 lbs. Despite their size, they can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour.
Both male and female musk ox have elegant horns, a little like an African wildebeest’s, splaying across their foreheads and used in head-on battles during the rutting season. However, their most obvious feature is their thick shaggy coat of hair which can reach from their bellies to the ground and ensures these mighty animals are able to survive the worst Arctic winters.
Called ‘bearded ones’ by the Inuit of Eastern Canada, and ‘ugly moose’ or ‘ugly bison’ by members of the Woods Cree nation in Central Canada, it should come as no surprise that the musk ox is at home in the snowy depths of these areas of the country.
However, smaller populations can also be found in Canada’s Yukon Territory at Ivvavik National Park, and in Alaska at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve following reintroduction schemes. Similar programs have seen musk ox return to Europe, with a group now living wild in Norway and Sweden.
Strict herbivores, musk ox eat grasses, lichens, mosses, and any woody plants they come across. During the summer months they therefore stick to river valleys, where there are easy sources of fresh water. In the winter months they head to higher elevations to stay away from the deepest snows and mainly consume arctic willows instead. Their sheer size means few predators will tackle a full-grown adult, but Arctic wolves, wolverines, polar bears, and grizzly bears will target calves.
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Other Arctic Wildlife
Arctic Fox / Arctic Hare / Arctic Wolf / Caribou / Polar Bear / Bearded Seal / Beluga Whale / Narwhal / Ringed Seal / Walrus / Arctic Tern / Gyrfalcon / Puffin / Snowy Owl
