Musk oxen are curious creatures. They have the appearance of a large, shaggy cow but they are more closely related to goats and sheep. They live in one of the harshest climates in the world, but seem to thrive there with ease. The tundra landscapes where musk ox live are cold and harsh with long winters, so what do musk ox eat? And, more importantly, how do they find food buried deep in the snow? Let’s find out.
What Is A Musk Ox?
Firstly, let’s clear up a common grammatical issue. There is often confusion over whether the correct term is musk ox or musk oxen. Oxen is the plural of ox, so the use of each depends on whether you are referring to a single animal or a herd. Grammatically speaking, the heading of the article “What do Musk Ox Eat?” is incorrect and so “oxen” should be used instead.
A musk ox is a large bovine, belonging to the Bovidae family. Within this taxonomic group are antelope, goats, sheep and domestic cattle. In this family, domestic cattle and bison belong to the subfamily Bovinae, while musk ox belongs to the subfamily Caprinae along with sheep and goats. This means the musk ox is a closer genetic relative of goats and sheep than it is of cattle and bison.
This is surprising, since the musk ox looks like cattle or bison but with thicker, longer coats. The reasoning for their classification being different is based mainly on where they live. Species in the Bovinae subfamily are found in Africa, Eurasia and North America. Species in the subfamily Caprinae, which includes the musk ox, are found in mountainous, alpine and tundra environments.
How Much Does a Musk Ox Weight?
An adult male musk ox can grow as large as 1.5m tall and weigh an impressive 300kg. Females are slightly smaller at 1.2-1.3m and a lighter 200kg. Both males and females have horns, but males horns join on the brow, forming a band called a “boss”. Scientists believe it is an adaptation that prevents injury during the rutting season when males will fight for breeding rights.
The musk ox has a large head, with forward facing eyes and a wide mouth ideally suited to eat vegetation buried in deep snow. It has a thick, coarse coat of brown hair that provides much needed insulation against the cold winds and snow. They also have large hooves and muscular legs which makes travelling through snow drifts much easier.
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Musk Oxen Habitat
During the last ice age, musk oxen were found as far south as midwestern North America, but as the ice flats receded, their range moved further north until they could be found only in Greenland and northern Canada. Successful introduction programs have created healthy populations in Norway, Sweden and Siberia. Today, the musk ox can be seen in Greenland, Alaska, across Scandinavia and Siberia.
The environment in which they live is cold, windy and harsh. Musk oxen herds are often found near sparse woodland where woody plants flourish. They also like rocky, mountainous regions. They are perfectly adapted to Arctic living due to their large size and a thick winter coat.
During the summer months when the snow melts and temperatures increase, musk oxen will shed their winter coat to prevent heatstroke. Around mid-September, their winter coat will begin to grow through again to coincide with the fall in temperature.
What Do Musk Oxen Eat?
Musk oxen are herbivorous, so they are strictly vegetarian. During the spring and summer months, vegetation is abundant, but as winter approaches, most of the landscape will be covered in snow which makes foraging much more difficult.
Thankfully, the musk ox is an expert forager, using its hooves to dig into the snow and its long muzzle and flexible lips to eat half-buried plants.
A musk ox spring/summer diet consists of:
- Arctic willow
- Grasses
- Lichen
- Mosses
- Roots
During the winter months, their diet is usually restricted to hardy lichen and mosses, while seasonal plants and trees are dormant.
Social and Breeding Behaviour
Musk oxen are herd animals, living in groups from 5 to 60. Herds tend to be smaller during summer but as winter comes around and conditions worsen, several family groups will form a larger herd.
Like many other bovine species, musk oxen use a harem breeding system. A group is usually headed by a bull and consists of several females and their calves. Males will display and even fight to compete for breeding rights with females. Displays include head swinging, body posturing and charging. In some cases, two similarly ranked males will use headbutts to determine the dominant individual.
The gestation of musk oxen is similar to humans at approximately 8 months. A female will give birth to a single calf which is able to stand less than an hour after birth. This is vital to ensure the calf has a chance of avoiding predation.
Twins do occur, but very rarely and the calves do not usually survive as they are born prematurely. This means they are underdeveloped and will be too weak to stand. They will either die from starvation due to their inability to suckle or they will be killed by predators.
Within a herd, there is a strict hierarchy and older females will assert their dominance over younger herd members. Higher ranking individuals get first choice of foraging areas and will push away subordinate members if they get too close.
Threats
The biggest threat facing musk oxen is predation. Depending on the region a herd lives, predators may include:
- Arctic wolves
- Polar bears
- Brown bears
Since musk oxen are such large animals with sharp horns, smaller carnivores would not risk hunting them unless they come across an injured adult or an unprotected calf. If they spot a predator, the adults will call by grunting and form a circle around their calves. The most dominant herd members will also charge at the predators in an attempt to scare them away.
Musk oxen are no longer endangered as was the case in the past. This is because they no longer face the threat of hunting on a large scale. During the late 19th century, they were hunted to the brink of extinction. Today, only local nomadic tribes hunt musk oxen and they do so for meat and clothing. Musk oxen are listed as ‘least concern’ on the IUCN red list for endangered species.
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