muskoxen

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are large, shaggy Arctic bovids native to the High Arctic regions of North America and Greenland. They have a thick double coat with a long outer layer and a soft underfur called qiviut. Both sexes wear horns that curve downward and outward; in males the horns are larger and more robust, and the animals rely on their size and horns for defense.

They inhabit Arctic and subarctic tundra and foothills, preferring open, windswept areas with sparse vegetation. Their diet changes with season: grasses, sedges, mosses, and willows in summer, and lichens in winter. They can tolerate extreme cold and deep snow by using their strong legs to paw away snow and by forming protective groups.

They live in herds that may include both adults and calves. When threatened they gather in a defensive circle around the younger animals. Breeding occurs in late summer; gestation lasts about eight months, and calves are usually born in spring, typically one per birth with twins being uncommon. Calves are tended by their mothers for several months.

Conservation status: the IUCN lists muskoxen as Least Concern, with populations stable or increasing in many areas. Some populations face pressures from climate change, severe winters, disease, and predation by wolves and bears. Muskoxen are ecologically important as selective Arctic herbivores and have cultural and economic significance for Indigenous peoples, including use of meat and qiviut wool.