Musk Ox

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The Musk Ox is a sturdy built animal with long, brown coat, the hairs almost reaching to the ground. They have woolly undercoat (qiviut) which protects the animals from the harsh conditions in the Arctic. An adult Musk Ox bull stands about 1 m tall at the shoulder and weighs up to 400 kg. Cows are smaller than the bulls. Both sexes have curved horns but the female's are smaller.

Musk Oxen are more closely related to goats and sheeps, although they may resemble bison. The soft underwool or qiviut is sold and highly prized for its insulative value.

Did you know?
that in Palmer, Alaska, there is a Musk Ox Farm, a private non-profit organization dedicated to the development and domestication of the musk ox? The animals kept at the farm form the basis of a cottage industry for Alaskans living in remote coastal villages. The soft under-wool of the musk ox, qiviut, is harvested once a year and delivered to Oomingmak, an Alaskan native knitter's co-operative.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Ovibos moschatus
Name (English)	Musk Ox
Name (French)	Boeuf musqué
Name (German)	Moschusochse
Name (Spanish)	Buey almizclado
Local names	Danish: Moskusokse Inuit: Oomingmak Norwegian: Moskusfe Swedish: Myskoxe
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Lisa Chikos

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russland, Sweden
Habitat	Tundra regions
Wild population	IUCN (1997) gives the total numnber as less than 118,000.
Zoo population	91 reported to ISIS

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Hannes Grobe

Why do zoos keep this animal

The Musk Ox is of educational interest because, although looking like an ox, it does not belong to the cattle tribe but to the sheep, and because of its adaptation to the arctic climate. It is also an excellent flagship species for highlighting conservation problems due to climate change.

How this animal should be kept

Musk oxen live in harem groups of 10-20 females with their offspring and an adult male. Bulls may form bachelor groups. At the zoo, musk oxen should, therefroe, be kept in harem or bachelor groups.

For up to 4 adults an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² per each additional adult. There should also be a smaller enclosure for temporarily separating individual animals as may be required. There must be some shelter protecting from rain, wind and sun, which must be large enough to accommodate all animals, but the animals are cold resistant and no closed stable is required, although a stable may be useful for trapping individual animals.

Climbing opportunities must be provided by natural rocks or artificial rockwork. Marly limestone ("mergel") is an ideal substrate for covering the soil. In case of sand-covered or natural soil there should be paving the feeding sites and around the shelter.

Musk oxen are very strong animals and this has to be taken into account for the construction of doors, fences etc.

Musk oxen are predominantly grazers. They should be fed on a diet of good hay, grass, occasionally branches in leaves or coniferous branches, and pellets and mineral salt.