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APPEARANCE & ADAPTATION MUSK OXEN are large animals with long fur coats. Both the males and females have horns. A musk oxen's coat keeps it snug and warm. For winter they grow thick undercoats of soft brown fleece, and thick overcoats of shaggy, long straight hair that hangs down to the ground. Inuit use the soft underfur for weaving a luxurious wool. |
 In May they shed large amounts of fur. |
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ENEMIES AND PROTECTION Musk oxen gather in groups of 10 to 20 . They snort when annoyed. When they try to run away from enemies the musk oxen get tired and overheated. If the musk oxen sense danger they form a defensive circle around their young,and face their enemies. They may even charge and try to gore the enemy with their horns. The arctic wolf is their main enemy. |
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FOOD Musk oxen feed on grasses, lichens and willow trees. The herd keeps moving while they are eating. Their hooves spread out allowing the muskoxen to walk on snow without sinking too deep. The sharp hooves help them to get at the grasses that are buried under the snow. |
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THE YOUNG The cows have one calf every two years . A newborn calf has a thick curly coat, but it can die from the freezing cold. It huddles under the mother's long coat to keep warm.
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OTHER FACTS In the early 1900s the musk oxen were overhunted and almost disappeared. They were easy to kill when they formed a circle. Musk oxen were hunted for their meat and the hides were sold . In 1917 the Canadian government passed a law against killing the musk ox. Now there are about 60,000 musk oxen living in Nunavut. The musk ox gives off a "musky smell" when excited. The family: males - bulls; females - cows; babies - calves
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