image credit: drurydrama, via Flickr
image credit: mottafied.com
image credit: animal.discovery.com
image credit: alaska.com
image credit: humbugreality.comHabitat: Arctic North America, with small populations in Sweden, Siberia, and Norway
This shaggy fellow is a Musk Ox and its name comes from the fact that males emit an extremely “musky” odor to attract the ladies during mating season. Sexy.
Musk Ox live in herds of around 10-20 animals but sometimes over 70. When threatened the adults will form a circle, keeping the young in the middle and facing outwards ready to charge at the enemy if necessary. This ring formation made Musk Ox easy targets for hunters, and in the early 19th century the Alaskan population was practically wiped out. Forunately, in 1917 Canada passed a law protecting the Musk Ox and now the population has rebounded. The worldwide population is estimated to be around 80,000 to 120,000 animals.
It’s incredible that simply through conservation an animal can come back from near extinction. Let this be a lesson to everyone that if we try, we really can make a difference. And cue the corny music.
