Musk ox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Musk ox |
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Ovibos
Blainville, 1816
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| Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780)
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| Range map. Blue indicates areas where the muskox has been successfully introduced in the 20th century. Red indicates established range. | |
The musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) is a large, furry mammal that lives in the Arctic. It belongs to the Bovidae family, which includes animals like cows, goats, and sheep. These amazing creatures have a very thick coat of fur. This helped them survive the cold ice age long ago.
Male musk oxen get their name from a strong, musky smell they give off. This smell helps them attract females during mating season. Musk oxen live in herds. These herds are usually made up of females and their young. One or two strong males lead the group. Male oxen often fight to decide who will be the leader. They do this by butting their thick heads and horns together. Their long, curved horns also help them scare away predators like wolves. When a herd senses wolves nearby, they form a circle. They face outwards and lower their heads to show off their powerful horns.
Where Musk Oxen Live
Musk oxen mostly live in the Arctic parts of North America and Greenland. You can also find smaller groups in Sweden, Siberia, and Norway. These smaller groups were brought there by people in recent times.
What Musk Oxen Eat
Musk oxen are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. They mostly graze on grasses and leaves. They also eat some Arctic flowers. Musk oxen are ruminants. This means they swallow their food without chewing it much at first. Later, they bring the food back up (this is called a cud) and chew it properly. Like other ruminants, musk oxen have a special stomach with four different sections. This helps them digest tough plant material.
Musk Oxen Through History
Scientists have studied fossil DNA from musk oxen. This research shows that musk oxen were once found in many more places during the Pleistocene ice age. They also had more different types of genes back then. During that time, other groups of musk oxen lived all across the Arctic. They ranged from the Ural Mountains to Greenland. The musk ox is one of the few large animals from the Pleistocene ice age that survived. Other survivors include the American bison and the pronghorn. Many other large animals died out at the end of the ice age.
Images for kids
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Euceratherium skeleton (missing its ribs)
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This skull, in the collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, shows the muskox's large horns.
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Fossil Ovibos moschatus skull from prehistoric Siberia
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Muskox at Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska
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Muskox family in east Greenland
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Nunivak Island, Alaskan muskoxen in the 1930s, shown here in defensive formation
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Muskox in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway
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Muskox on Bolshoy Begichev Island, Russia
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See also
In Spanish: Buey almizclero para niños
