During the thousands of-year-long Ice Age, the ancestors of the musk ox walked alongside mammoths and long-haired rhinos in the snowstorms of the Arctic. Today, mammoths and long-haired rhinos are long history, and musk oxen still live in the Arctic.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > like cows not cows, sheep like sheep</h1>
The musk ox is the largest herbivores in the Arctic, with a shoulder height of more than 1 meter, a body length of about 2 meters, and a weight of more than 400 kilograms. Musk oxen belongs to the sheep subfamily, but the appearance is more like cattle, the so-called "like a cow is not a cow, is a sheep is not like a sheep" is a musk ox. Because it is more like a cow, and when it is in heat, the body emits a special body fragrance, like musk, it is called "musk ox".
The musk ox looks a bit like a cow, but it is closely related to the twisted horned antelope living in the Himalayas. Zoologists believe that the musk ox is a transitional species between cattle and sheep.
The musk ox is covered with long dark body hairs that hang down almost to the ground, making the musk ox's already short limbs appear shorter. The long hair of the musk ox is also covered with a thick layer of fine fluff, which has an excellent thermal effect, the warming effect is 7 times better than that of wool, and it does not drip, which is a very good warm material. But it is precisely because of this that musk oxen has always been the object of human poaching.
Although the musk ox is large, its energy consumption is small, which is definitely a first-class energy consumption. Compared to cattle of the same weight, musk cattle eat only one-sixth of their food. Musk oxen often lie down and eat grass, fall asleep while eating, and then eat when they wake up. Less movement, less natural energy consumption, and less food.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="17" > the musk oxen living in groups are invincible</h1>
Musk oxen like to live in groups, they live in groups, so it is more lively, but also have a care for each other. In winter, musk oxen gather in small herds, sometimes hundreds of musk oxen are mighty and imposing. In the spring, they are divided into small groups of people, more than a dozen, as few as three or five, the so-called long time will be combined, and the combination will be divided for a long time.
Although musk oxen are quiet and docile, it does not mean that they are weak and bullying. Arctic wolves and polar bears are musk ox's biggest enemies, and in the face of the enemy, the musk ox does not want to escape, but to take the initiative to meet the enemy. Faced with predators, fleeing everywhere, and often the unlucky ones are often juvenile herbivores, and musk oxen seem to see through this.
When encountering a pack of wolves, the adult musk bull faces outwards and its butts face inward, forming a circle in which the baby musk ox is surrounded. Adult musk oxen fight bravely, using their incredibly hard horns and strong physique against wolves. Wolves are often difficult to win against brave musk oxen.
This method of resisting enemies is very effective in general, whether it is an arctic wolf or a polar bear, you can only "look at the bull and sigh".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="18" > real musk ox threat</h1>
The real threat of musk oxen comes from humans, when humans enter the Arctic with guns, human weapons are beyond the musk ox's cognition, and in the face of human bullets, they still stand "silly", one by one are shot, and the hunters are happy.
Musk ox fur can be made into warm clothing, horns and bones can be made into tools and decorations, meat can be eaten, fat can be used as oil, a treasure, attracting the disaster of killing. In 1865, the last musk ox in Alaska fell in the sound of gunfire; in the early 20th century, Canada marched into the Arctic and shot 3600 musk oxen.
To make matters worse, zoos are also very interested in musk oxen, and humans have found that catching small musk oxen is the only way, but because adult musk oxen will desperately protect small musk oxen, they must be killed all. The tragedy happened again, and for every baby musk ox caught, 5 adult musk oxen were shot behind it. Because of the needs of zoos, thousands of musk oxen were shot for no reason. Fortunately, in the face of people's condemnation, the zoo stopped this dirty trade.
Fortunately, later countries realized the seriousness of the problem, have banned the hunting of musk oxen, the number of musk oxen has been restored, and now there are more than 7,000 musk oxen left in the world, on the verge of extinction, and more protection is needed.