Muskox Feeding

Ancestors of the muskox have survived since the Pleistocene Era, 10,000 years ago. With the retreat of the glacial ice, they spread through Northern Canada and Greenland, then westward into Alaska.

Noted for their thick coats and for the strong odor emitted by males, from which its name derives, Muskoxen are more closely related to sheep and goats than to oxen. Both sexes have long curved horns.

Muskoxen are usually around 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long and 1.4 m (4.6) high at the shoulder. Adults usually weigh at least 200 kg (440 lb) and can exceed 400 kg (880 lb). Their coat, a mix of black, gray, and brown, includes long guard hairs that reach almost to the ground. Rare "white muskox" have been spotted in the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Muskox wool, or qiviut (an Inuit word), is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulative value. Prices for yarn rangeupwards of $100 per ounce.

Today, there are over 100,000 wild muskox roaming the mainland tundra and Arctic Islands of the NWT and Nunavut. In the winter they roam in isolated herds of approximately 75 animals. During mating season 15 to 20 cows will herd with one bull.