Musk Oxen are similar in size to bison, standing 4-6 feet tall at the shoulder and six to eight feet long, with short legs, a humped back and thick curving horns. The hooves are sharp and rounded to provide better traction. Their shaggy outer coat hangs almost to the ground.

The musk ox feeds on lichens, grasses, mosses, pine shoots, leaves and shrubs. During the winter, it digs large craters in search of dried plants that are buried beneath the snow. Herds range across the tundra, moving about a mile a day in search of food. Unlike many species, the musk ox migrates from sheltered lowlands in the summer onto barren plateaus in the winter (Huffman, Toronto Zoo). The windswept plateaus do not accumulate as much snow, making it easier for the musk ox to graze.

Musk ox horns are sharp and pointed at the tips, almost meeting in the middle of the head to form a large horn boss, curving outward and upward at the sides. Both sexes have horns, although the bulls’ are noticeably larger. The bosses are up to one foot wide and four inches thick. The boss protects the bulls’ skulls from damage during the head smashing and fighting that takes place during the rutting season. The horns are also used to defend the herd from attacks by wolves.

The Musk Ox is well adapted to life in the Arctic tundra. Its dark brown outer coat has a thick layer of guard hairs that repel snow and moisture, while the dense wool undercoat –or qiviut- protects the animal from temperatures as low as 100 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). In the winter, the musk ox uses its horns to break up layers of ice in search of plants. Occasionally, a musk ox is killed when the force of the impact drives the horns back into its head.

The are two major subspecies: the Barren Ground Musk Ox, which weighs between 500 and 1000 pounds, and the smaller Greenland (or White Faced) Musk Ox which stands a foot shorter and weighs no more than 800 pounds. The two subspecies have been bred together in captivity so as to ensure their genetic diversity.

During the Ice Age, the musk ox ranged from Siberia in the north to as far south as France and Ohio. It is believed to have come across the land bridge to North America during the Pleistocene era. When the ice finally receded, the musk ox survived, while other northern species such as the wooly mammoth soon became extinct. Today the musk ox is found in Greenland, northern Canada, and Alaska and have recently been reintroduced in parts of Norway and Russia. The largest herds of wild musk oxen are concentrated on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories.

The musk ox was hunted into extinction in Alaska in the 1850’s. Whaling ships and trappers found them to be easy targets for hunting because when threatened musk oxen refuse to run. In 1930, 34 musk ox from Greenland were reintroduced to Nunivak Island in Alaska in an attempt to save the species from extinction. Today there are between 2,500 and 3000 musk ox living in Alaska, with 125,000 animals worldwide.

Musk oxen are social creatures, and may be found in herds of up to 100 animals. Most herds are made up of 10-30 animals, with an adult male, several younger males, a group of females, and their offspring (Huffman, Brent, Toronto Zoo). Young bulls will sometimes form herds of "eligible bachelors".

During the rutting season, the bulls emit a strong, pungent aroma from their facial glands which is used to mark their territory. Bulls are extremely aggressive during the rutting season, and have been known to chase off birds that land too close.

Rival bulls assert their dominance through aggressive displays and head crashing. The bulls face off, pawing the ground and brandishing their horns. Their bellowing is said to sound like the roar of a lion. The bulls back up until they are 50-100 feet apart, and then charge at each other reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, smashing their heads together with tremendous force. As many as 20 head crashes may take place before one of the bulls decides to submit to the other. The winner gains control of the herd, and the right to breed with the females.

Breeding takes place in August, and a single calf is born eight months later. It takes 3-4 years for a musk ox to reach maturity. Females may give birth every other year. The average lifespan of a musk ox is 20 years.

Wolves (and occasionally polar bears) are the only natural enemies of the musk ox. The musk ox will not run away from predators. When threatened, the herd forms a protective circle, with their horns facing outward, and the young hidden in the center of the ring. Individual bulls may charge at an attacker. If a musk ox is killed, the herd will attempt to surround the body and prevent predators from eating it. These defensive circles make musk oxen extremely vulnerable to hunters armed with rifles. Because they will not abandon their dead, hunters are sometimes "forced" to kill off the entire herd.

Big game hunters continue to hunt musk ox in Greenland and Canada. So-called sportsman pay upwards of $3,500 –plus airfare- for the opportunity to shoot such large exotic animals. Native Greenlanders are said prefer to hunt for reindeer because the meat tastes better. A limited number of musk oxen are also hunted on Nunivak Island in Alaska, where they have no natural predators. Musk ox meat is also harvested in the Northwest Territories and served in restaurants, much like "buffalo burgers" in the United States.

Musk ox grow a new layer of qiviut (pronounced "Kiv-ee-ute") in the autumn. The qiviut is naturally shed in the springtime. In Alaska, the qiviut is collected and sent to Oomingmak, the Musk Ox Producers’ Cooperative, where it is woven into cloth by Native Alaskans. Scarves and sweaters made out of qiviut are very valuable, as it is eight times warmer than sheep’s wool and extremely light weight. "Unlike wool, Qiviut is not scratchy and will not shrink in any temperature of water." (Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers’ Cooperative)

In 1964, after more than a decade of research, a man John Teal started the first domestic musk ox farm in Fairbanks, Alaska. With help from the Kellogg Foundation and the University of Alaska, the Musk Ox Project aimed to bring these animals back from the brink of extinction, while providing economic opportunities in some of the most impoverished communities in the nation. In 1968, the Oomingmak Cooperative began producing qiviut garments. Today, the cooperative is collectively owned by approximately 250 Native Alaskan women, and serves as an important cottage industry in the remote coastal regions of Alaska.

* Natural Resources Canada report: "The Productivity of Musk Ox in Commercially Harvested Areas of Banks Island"

From The J. Cruelty Catalog Volume 10

© 2002 by Erik Farseth