| One look at herd of Musk Oxen, and you wonder | | | | calves resemble their parents, and may begin |
| if you've traveled back in time to the | | | | eating grass as soon as a week after birth, |
| Pleistocene, the age of Saber-toothed Tigers | | | | although they will continue nursing for a |
| and Woolly Mammoths. Reportedly, these | | | | year or more. |
| venerable beasts have existed since the last | | | | |
| ice age, 600,000 years ago. With their | | | | The arctic is a desperate region, but Musk |
| distinctive curved horns and shaggy long | | | | Oxen are well-equipped. In winter they grow |
| hair, this "Bison of the Tundra" roams the | | | | thick undercoats of soft brown fleece and |
| arctic river valleys of North America, | | | | shaggy overcoats. Guard hairs extend past |
| Greenland, and the northern countries of | | | | their bulky shoulders and short legs, almost |
| Europe, grazing on grass, reeds, and sedges, | | | | dragging on the ground. This wool is finer |
| using its cloven feet to dig beneath the snow | | | | than cashmere, and eight times warmer for its |
| to reach lichen and nutritious ground plants | | | | weight than sheep's wool. It can protect the |
| when necessary. | | | | animal at temperatures down to 100 degrees |
| | | | Fahrenheit below zero. Musk oxen shed their |
| Musk Oxen, who are not oxen, and do not have | | | | undercoats in May, leaving behind them "The |
| a musk gland, most likely got its names from | | | | Golden Fleece of the Arctic"-great woolly |
| the heavy scent that males give off when | | | | powder puffs anywhere between 4 and 16 |
| excited. They are a member of the Bovidae | | | | pounds. Traditionally, Inuits have used this |
| family, and are closely related to sheep and | | | | fiber, which they call qivuit, in making |
| goats, although they best resemble buffalo | | | | garments. |
| and bison. Like cattle, they have a | | | | |
| four-chambered stomach and live in herds of | | | | Adult Musk Oxen protect their offspring in a |
| 10-20 animals. Sometimes several herds may | | | | way quite unlike any other animal. When |
| join, forming groups of up to a hundred. | | | | approached by a predator, calves quickly |
| Herds will include bulls, cows, and calves | | | | gather in a tight circle, while the older |
| until mid-August when the bulls are in full | | | | members of the herd encompass them, facing |
| rut. At this time, bulls begin to exhibit | | | | outward. If necessary adults may charge the |
| heightened aggressiveness, making impressive | | | | threat; but usually they remain stationary, |
| displays of themselves. Pawing at the ground, | | | | using their muscular shoulders and horns to |
| walking stiff-legged, and swinging their | | | | block the provocateur from the more |
| massive horns, the bulls compete for | | | | vulnerable members of the herd. This course |
| dominance. | | | | of action is effective against arctic wolves |
| | | | and the occasional polar bear, but not |
| At a formidable 440 to 880 pounds, bulls | | | | against the firepower of man. In the early |
| stand 5 feet at the shoulder and are 8 feet | | | | 1900s Musk Oxen came close to extinction and |
| long. Challenges made at mating season are no | | | | were completely wiped out by hunters in |
| light affair. Facing off, challengers back up | | | | Alaska. However, thanks to a worldwide |
| about a hundred feet apart before charging, | | | | hunting ban, populations have recovered. They |
| head on, at speeds approaching 35-45 miles | | | | were reintroduced into Alaska in 1930, where |
| per hour. Bellowing, the bulls collide. Their | | | | they continue to thrive. The world population |
| massive horn bosses, which can grow up to | | | | is now estimated at 65,000-85,000. Their |
| four inches thick and a foot wide, protect | | | | biggest threat now may be the climate shift |
| their skulls, and challengers may repeat the | | | | occuring in the north. Where temperatures |
| activity a dozen times before one bull | | | | drop significantly a hard crust of ice may |
| submits and is run off. The winning bull will | | | | form over the ground which is impossible for |
| be the only male allowed in the herd until | | | | the Musk Oxen to break through. Without food, |
| mating season is over. | | | | herds may starve. |
| | | | |
| At two years old, cows are sexually mature. | | | | This appears to be the new challenge of |
| The gestation period lasts 8 ½ months, and | | | | preservation teams devoted to caribou and |
| single calves, weighing 18-25 pounds, arrive | | | | Musk Oxen, the final surviving relic of a |
| mid-April to early May. With soft curly hair, | | | | past age. |