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.
Two young bulls testing each others strength
Musk ox shit. Musk oxen are actually more closely related to goats than to bovines.
