Clin d'Oeil

Back in time, musk oxen occured together with mammuts in Scandinavia, but got extinct until last century. In the 1930’s a first attempt was undertaken to reintroduce wild-caught animals from Alaska to Norway. After World War II there were no musk oxen that had survived, and a second reintroduction took place in 1947 with 12 animals from Alaska and 9 from Canada, where wild populations still occur. This reintroduction project appeared successful and nowadays the population counts approximately 300 individuals, principally concentrated around Dombas and Dovrefjell.

Musk oxen are made for a life in extreme conditions. Their wool is the second best (after Alpaca wool) insulating natural material. On the other hand, the habitat where they live in Norway is not optimal for these animals. In winter, they move up the mountains where the snow layer is less thick due to heavy winds. However, there they mainly find lichens to eat which they cannot digest (contrary to elk) and only low amounts of grass and leafy plants. Therefore, musk oxen can loose up to 40% of their weight during winter. In summer, musk oxen are found lower down the mountains and sometimes in the valleys, where they feed on grass and strengthen for the winter. However, summers can be hot in central Norway with temperatures up to 25°C which, again, makes the highly insulated musk oxen suffer.

Lichens cannot be digested by musk oxen

Musk oxen are impressive. The head of a fully grown bull weighs approximately 60 kg. During the mating season (October) bulls fight for their dominant position - gaining them access to the cows - by colliding with each other head-to-head, sometimes at speeds up to 60 km per hour each. When encountering a musk ox, it is wise to keep a safety distance of 200 metres. Musk oxen fear nothing and consider everything that approaches them as a rival. During the mating season, it is not unusual that a musk ox bull, driven by testosterone, charges an approaching train. So far, none have won a fight from the train.