Muskox
Ovibos moschatus
Summary 2
he muskox (Ovibos moschatus), also spelled musk ox and musk-ox (in Inuktitut: ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, umingmak), is an Arctic hoofed mammal of the family Bovidae,[6] noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted during the seasonal rut by males, from which its name derives. This musky odor is used to attract females during mating season. Its Inuktitut name "umingmak" translates to "the bearded one".[7] Muskoxen primarily live in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut,[8] with small introduced populations in the American state of Alaska, the Canadian territory of Yukon, the Scandinavian Peninsula, and Siberia.
Both male and female muskoxen have long, curved horns. Muskoxen stand 1.1 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 ft) high at the shoulder, with females measuring 135 to 200 cm (4.4 to 6.6 ft) in length, and the larger males 200 to 250 cm (6.6 to 8.2 ft). The small tail, often concealed under a layer of fur, measures only 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Adults, on average, weigh 285 kg (630 lb) and range from 180 to 410 kg (400 to 900 lb).[9][17] The thick coat and large head suggests a larger animal than the muskox truly is; the bison, to which the muskox is often compared, can weigh up to twice as much.[18] However, heavy zoo-kept specimens have weighed up to 650 kg (1,400 lb).[5] Their coat, a mix of black, grey, and brown, includes long guard hairs that almost reach the ground. Rare "white muskoxen" have been spotted in the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary.[19] Muskoxen are occasionally domesticated for wool, meat, and milk.[20][21] The wool, qiviut, is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulation value.
Muskoxen live in herds of 12–24 in the winter and 8–20 in the summer.[42] They do not hold territories, but they do mark their trails with preorbital glands.[43] Male and female muskoxen both have separate age-based hierarchies, with mature oxen being dominant over juveniles.[42] Dominant oxen tend to get access to the best resources[5] and will displace subordinates from patches of grass during the winter.[42] Muskox bulls assert their dominance in many different ways. One is a "rush and butt", in which a dominant bull rushes a subordinate from the side with its horns, and will warn the subordinate so it can have a chance to get away.[44] Bulls will also roar, swing their heads, and paw the ground.[5] Dominant bulls sometimes treat subordinate bulls like cows. A dominant bull will casually kick a subordinate with its foreleg, something they do to cows during mating.[45] Dominant bulls will also mock copulate subordinates and sniff their genitals.[45] A subordinate bull can change his status by charging a dominant bull.[46]
The mating (or "rutting") season of the muskoxen begins in late June or early July. During this time, dominant bulls will fight others out of the herds and establish harems of usually six or seven cows and their offspring. Fighting bulls will first rub their preorbital glands against their legs while bellowing loudly, and then display their horns.[46] The bulls then back up 20 meters, lower their heads, and charge into each other, and will keep doing so until one bull gives up.[44] Subordinate and elderly bulls will leave the herds to form bachelor groups or become solitary.[5] However, when danger is present, the outside bulls can return to the herd for protection.[47] Dominant bulls will prevent cows from leaving their harems.[5] During mating, a bull will casually kick an estrous cow with his foreleg to calm her down and make her more receptive to his advances.[45] The herds reassemble when summer ends.[47]
While the bulls are more aggressive during the rutting season and make the decisions in the groups, the females take charge during gestation.[5] Pregnant females are aggressive and decide what distance the herd travels in a day and where they will bed for the night.[48] The herds move more frequently when cows are lactating, to allow them to get enough food to nurse their offspring.[48] Cows have an eight- to nine-month gestation period, with calving occurring from April to June. Cows do not calve every year. When winters are severe, cows will not go into estrus and thus not calve the next year. When calving, cows stay in the herd for protection. Muskox are precocial, and calves are able to keep up with the herd within just a few hours after birth. The calves are welcomed into the herd and nursed for the first two months.[5] After that, a calf then begins eating vegetation and nurses only occasionally. Cows communicate with their calves through braying. The calf's bond with its mother weakens after two years.
Sources and Credits
- (c) NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/92416586@N05/22517294813/
- Adapted by calgaryzoo from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovibos_moschatus
