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The muskox (Ovibos moschatus, in Latin "musky sheep-ox"), also spelled musk ox and musk-ox, plural muskoxen or musk oxen (in Inuktitut: ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, romanized: umingmak; in Woods Cree: ᒫᖨᒨᐢ, romanized: mâthi-môs, ᒫᖨᒧᐢᑐᐢ, mâthi-mostos), is a hoofed mammal of the family Bovidae.
Jun 7, 2024 · Musk oxen are stocky mammals with large heads, short necks, and short, stout legs. Their name derives from their musky odour and from their superficial resemblance to the ox, though they are not closely related to cattle.
- Valerius Geist
Discover the herd animal tough enough to withstand the brutal climate of its Arctic home. Learn the secrets of the musk ox’s distinctive coat.
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Everything you should know about the Musk Ox. The Musk Ox is an immense, shaggy beast, with large, curved horns. They live in the Arctic Tundra.
- They’re musk-ish. Musk is more than just a scent, it’s actually a glandular secretion made by a number of different animals. It can be overwhelming at first, but when refined, it’s often used as a base for perfume for its powerful aroma.
- They’re non-migratory. Winters in their habitat are long, dark and windy, and there’s not a lot to eat. Caribou are the only large animal in the Arctic with populations greater than the muskox, yet these will move from one location to another to avoid the worst of the weather and find food.
- They achieve this by being fat and hairy. One great defence against the cold is fat. And the muskox is seriously rotund. They have short legs, cylindrical bodies and immense amounts of dense fur that all combine to keep them warm.
- They are heterothermic. Their ability to live in freezing temperates is not just down to being large and hairy. They are also heterothermic, which means they can shut down thermal regulation to body parts like lower limbs to reduce body heat loss from more important areas.
Learn all about the musk ox, including where its name comes from, and why they're actually more closely related to sheep and goats than to bison and cattle.
Oct 5, 2023 · Built for the cold. Most of the world’s muskox live in the Canadian Arctic. They have two thick layers of fur: a coarse and shaggy outer coat (guard hairs) and an insulating undercoat (qiviut).
