The musk ox (scientific name: Ovibos moschatus) has only two subspecies. Body length 180-230 cm, tail length 9-10 cm, shoulder height is generally 120-150 cm, weight 200-410 kg. The body is solid. Females are slightly smaller. The snout and nose are bare, and the forehead is tufted with tufts. The eyes are large and round, the pupils are purple-blue, and the lips and tip of the tongue are also purple-blue. Both small ears are also covered by hair. The body hair is long, full of villi, dark brown, with mane hairs from the back of the neck to the shoulders, more than 30 cm long, slightly curly hairs, drooping like a cape. It resembles cows in appearance, its horns are also similar to cows, and at the same time, the limbs do not have odor glands and the female has 4 nipples.
It inhabits a rocky and barren area with a harsh climate, is gregarious, eats mainly grass and shrub branches, and digs snow to feed on mosses in winter. Sexually brave, under no circumstances does it retreat and flee; when predators such as wolves and bears appear, the group immediately forms a defensive formation, with adult males standing at the forefront and surrounding the calves in the middle. Survival rates are low. Because of its excellent fur, it was hunted in large numbers and almost extinct; It is distributed in the arctic regions such as northern North America and Greenland, and is the northernmost ungulate.
Morphological characteristics
Musk oxen is the only species in the genus Musk oxen in the family Oleidae, with only two subspecies. Body length 180-230 cm, tail length 9-10 cm, shoulder height is generally 120-150 cm, weight 200-410 kg. The musk ox body is solid. Females are slightly smaller. The snout and nose are bare, and the forehead is tufted with tufts. The eyes are large and round, the pupils are purple-blue, and the lips and tip of the tongue are also purple-blue. Both small ears are also covered by hair. The body hair is long, full of villi, dark brown, with mane hairs from the back of the neck to the shoulders, more than 30 cm long, slightly curly hairs, drooping like a cape. The hair is divided into two layers, and there is a thick layer of fluff under the long hair, called hair, which is both tough and soft, which can block the cold and moisture, and the upper layer of needle hair can prevent rain, snow and wear. The back of the trunk is saddle-shaped light-colored hairs. The older the age, the more pronounced the white area. The tail is short and hidden under the long hairs. The limbs are short and strong, the hooves are wide and wide, and there are white hairs under the hooves, which can step on ice and snow without slipping. Interestingly, its left and right hooves are asymmetrical. Both the female and the male have horns, the base of the horn is flattened, divided equally from the middle, and grows outward against the skull, and the two horns are first bent downwards and then provoked upwards. The length is around 60 cm, and the longest record is 70. 5 cm, the female horn is much shorter.
Musk ox, also known as musk cow, in appearance is very similar to cattle, horns are also like cattle, at the same time, limbs do not have odor glands and females have 4 nipples and other aspects are similar to cattle, but its tail is particularly short, ears are very small, the front of the eyes have odor glands, limbs are also very short, the snout edges except for a small part between the nostrils, are covered by hair, these are different from cattle. The horns of cattle grow from the sides of the head, while musk oxen, like other sheep, grow from the top of the head. Its molars are similar to those of a goat. The scientific name musk ox means "sheep cow", indicating that it is a transitional type of animal between cattle and sheep.
Breeding methods
After recuperating in the summer, the musk ox has accumulated a lot of energy. Females are mainly for reproduction, and males also have to compete for reproductive rights during the estrus period in autumn. Whenever this time, the musk glands on the face of the male musk ox secrete a strong smell, which are smeared on the plants on the ground through the legs to demarcate their territory, and the female musk ox is trapped in it, strictly guarded and protected, and any other male musk ox must not be encroached upon, otherwise the two sides will start a thrilling battle. After a fierce battle, the side forced to concede defeat had to flee in a gray way, and the winner chased a few steps, then stopped and yelled at the escapee several times, and did not have the heart to fight, and rushed back to the female musk ox herd, because the potential danger was still there. And their fight, the female musk ox does not care, but continues to eat as usual.
The reproduction rate of musk oxen is relatively low, mating occurs between July and September, the female beast gestation period is 8 to 9 months, each year from April to June to give birth, 1 litter per litter, 2 litters are occasionally born, and females generally give birth to 1 litter every two years. Newborn pups have short hair, weigh 9 to 10 kg, breastfeeding for 3 to 4 months, but the survival rate of pups is very low, because the weather is very cold, the night is longer than the day, and the newborn pups are often frozen to death because the milk hair is not dry. The female only gives birth to a cub every other year, which is highly precocious, has a thick fur, and can walk within 1 hour of birth. When the large male is standing, the shoulder height is about 1.5 meters high, the body length is about 2.5 meters, and the small female is smaller. Males take 3 to 4 years to mature sexually, and females to 5 to 6 years. Lifespan 20 to 24 years.
Habitat
Musk oxen is an endemic species that lives in the Arctic tundra. In summer, it tends to be sheltered in wet lowlands, such as river valleys and lakes; in winter it moves to higher slopes, plateaus and places where deep snow accumulates for easy foraging.
Musk oxen are found in the extremely desolate barren lands of The Arctic Tundra in Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Norway and elsewhere. In summer, the tundra zone is covered with mosses and lichens, and hundreds of plant species grow. In lakes and swamps, many small birds flew to build nests; lemmings that had just come out of the hole began to move frequently on the ground; liao rats were preying on fish and insects; reindeer roamed in herds; and predators such as foxes and wolves and gulls and doves were also attracted to feed. Winter is coming, the land is covered with ice and snow, the colorful vitality of life begins to disappear, and as the cold and desolation appear, many animals are far away. But in this desert land, some black-brown musk oxen can also be seen wandering alone. The snow is deep in winter. They can only feed on their hooves to plane snow and dig up some hay leaves and mosses. They are more resistant to hunger and thirst, and their thick fluff can withstand the cold of -40 to 50 ° C in the Arctic. The fluff on the musk ox is thick and dense enough to withstand any cold and moisture, while the thick layer of hair on the outside is suitable for protection against rain, snow and wind. Therefore, musk oxen are animals that are extremely afraid of cold, but they are very afraid of heat.
Habits of life
The musk ox inhabits rocky and barren areas, is gregarious, eats mainly grass and shrub branches, and digs snow in winter to feed on mosses. Sexually brave, under no circumstances does it back off and runs away. When predators such as wolves and bears appear, a herd of musk oxen immediately forms a defensive formation with small ears and covered with thick hair; adult bulls stand at the forefront and surround the calves in the middle. Bulls will attack unexpectedly, attacking each other with sharp horns. Because its coat is long and thick, it protects the body from being bitten by predators. After the bull attacked, it immediately returned to the same place and waited for it.
Under normal circumstances, the musk ox appears to be particularly docile, stopping to eat a little food, and then lying flat on the ground and chewing slowly, and after a while it will doze off. When you are a little awake, then go forward a little bit, and then repeat the same trick, eating food, regurgitating, dozing off. In fact, musk oxen do this for a purpose: to reduce energy consumption, but also to reduce the need for food. In summer, musk oxen feed mainly on fresh weeds and drink water from melted streams, ponds and rivers. In winter, musk oxen eat only a small amount of snow, because it consumes calories to melt the snow into water, which not only meets the needs of the body, but also reduces the loss of energy. It is reported that due to the extreme efficiency with which the musk ox maintains energy, it needs only 1/6 of the food it needs for cattle of the same size.
Musk oxen prefer to live in groups, smaller flocks in summer, foraging for the leaves of short willow trees, and forming large flocks of up to 100 in winter. Usually the young musk ox and the female musk ox are in the middle of the line, the strong male bull is guarded and protected around, and the male musk ox forms their own unique group, each with its own "group leader", but each led by an old musk ox (often a pregnant female musk ox). Whenever the team advanced, there was always a shrewd and capable male musk ox to open the way in front, followed by a huge army of musk oxen.