Polar musk ox
The musk ox is a large, thickly furred animal that lives in the northern regions of America and Eurasia. It represents the genus of musk oxen and the family of bovids. For a long time, there were disputes about its taxonomic affiliation. Previously, the animal was attributed to the bovine subfamily, now scientists define it in the goat subfamily. But cubs are still called calves, not lambs.
Musk oxen are listed in the Red Book, although in some places their population has increased so much that there is a question of excluding the species from the endangered list.
Musk ox
Description of musk ox
The ancestors of musk oxen lived earlier in Central Asia, mainly in the Himalayas. Approximately 3.5 million years ago, climatic conditions on Earth changed, it became colder, musk oxen moved closer to Siberia, settled throughout the north of the Eurasian zone, crossed the Bering Isthmus and found themselves in America. When the climate warmed, the number of these animals declined sharply. Almost all animals close to musk oxen of those times died out, only reindeer remained.
The musk ox is not at all a hybrid of a sheep and a cow, as many may misunderstand from the name. Just in appearance, he simultaneously looks like these two animals. Scientists have long doubted which subfamily this strange individual belongs to. In the west, the species is more often called the musk ox, but this name also has nothing to do with the specific secretion of the glands of some animals. Derives from the name of the swamp "musked" in the dialect of the Cree Indians.
The appearance of musk oxen
The appearance of musk oxen is shaped by their habitat. They are covered with hair, which makes them seem larger than in reality. The head of the animals is decorated with horns, and both in males and females, this helps them to protect themselves from enemies.
Here is a brief description of the musk ox's appearance:
- Height - 135-138 cm, female - 120 cm.
- Weight - 260-350 kg (for a female - up to 300 kg), in captivity it can exceed 650 kg.
- The body of the male is 210-260 cm, that of the female is 190-240 cm.
- The head is massive, elongated.
- The horns are swirling, increase in size up to 6 years old, bend first down, then forward, at the last stage - to the sides. Females have smaller horns, there is a gap on the head between them. Males have solid and longer horns.
- The ears are quite small, about 3 cm in calves, and 6 cm in adults.
- A hump is formed in the shoulder region and at the nape.
- The back of the case is noticeably narrower than the front.
- Legs are short, stocky, behind they are longer than in front.
- The hooves are rounded and large, well suited for walking on snow, climbing rocks. The front hooves are wider than the hind ones, since with their help the musk ox obtains food under a thick cover of snow.
- The tail is shortened, in the calf - 6-6.5 cm, in the adult musk ox - 12.2-14.5 cm.
- The udder of the females is not very large, covered with light hair, the length of the nipple is 3.5-4.5 cm.
The size of musk oxen is very dependent on the habitat, the availability of a sufficient amount of food.For example, larger individuals live in the west of Greenland than in the east. The same can be said about the existence of animals in captivity and in freedom.
Characteristic of wool
Thanks to its thick coat, the musk ox is able to survive even arctic frosts. Its wool warms 8 times better than sheep's. The color of the coat is from brown-brown at the top to black at the bottom. The hair is long, often reaching the ground. Here is the characteristic of the wool structure:
- Guide hairs
- Guard hair of three orders, about 60 cm long
- Intermediate hair of two orders
- Thick downy hair of two orders makes up the undercoat or giviot (it is much thinner and warmer than cashmere)
The musk ox is completely covered with wool, which is very important for the harsh Arctic. Only the horns, lips and hooves remain free. Molting begins in May or June. Bulls lose their undercoat, which begins to grow back in August. In older animals and pregnant females, molt may be delayed. The musk ox's guard hair changes gradually throughout the year.
Habitat and habitat
Where do musk oxen live? The natural population is found in Canada and Greenland. In Alaska, these animals were completely exterminated in the 19th century, but now individuals from neighboring regions have been brought there, and their numbers are resuming. In the 70s of the last century, the musk ox was successfully acclimatized on Taimyr and Wrangel Island. Now the population has reached such a level that it has become possible to settle animals in other regions. First of all, musk oxen are removed from Wrangel Island.
Musk oxen appeared in Russia and in other regions, not only in Taimyr. They are in the Magadan region, in Yakutia, in the Urals, they were brought to the island of Yamal. Musk ox from North America is now actively settling in Sweden and Norway. The population is constantly increasing, and it is hoped that ancient animals will be excluded from the Red Book.
Musk oxen live in the northern arctic zone both on plains and in mountainous areas. The area where the musk ox lives should be 200 km². On this area, starting from the end of spring, herds actively roam in search of food and dry pastures, which are not so much in the cold regions of the Arctic.
Migrating herds move along the tundra rather slowly, but in case of danger they can reach speeds of up to 40-50 km / h. This movement lasts until the first half of autumn. In winter, bulls live in a smaller area of about 50 km². The musk ox does not leave its habitat in winter, as reindeer do. On the contrary, in cold weather, migration decreases.
Natural enemies
These large animals have natural enemies. They are hunted by wolverines, polar bears, wolves. Most often, predators hunt herds with small calves, hunt down old, sick and weakened animals. Animals are especially active at the end of winter, when the herds are starving, they practically lose all their fat, even a young dominant male musk ox feels weak at this time.
The musk ox is good at defending itself if it is in the herd. Adults stand in a circle, inside it are females with cubs. Exposing their horns, animals will not allow a single predator to approach them. A pack of wolves can sometimes break through the defense. But even if a polar bear or a wolf steals a cub, an adult musk ox will desperately protect it.
Musk oxen also used the tactics of protection from predators against humans. Unfortunately, in this case, she played a cruel joke with them. Hunters simply shot the herds with a gun, almost the entire population was destroyed. They killed animal musk oxen for meat, for the sake of valuable fur and even just for the original trophy. Nowadays, wherever this species lives, hunting is prohibited. Many musk oxen live in the reserve.
Lifestyle
Musk oxen in the summer live in small groups of 7-10 heads. In winter, groups gather in larger herds, which can number up to 50 individuals. One group contains several females and 2-3 males.One male can be the leader, the rest are in a subordinate position. This group cannot be called typical for herbivores. First, females gather together, then a male appears near them. Other bulls may engage in combat with the male in the herd and take possession of the females if they win.
In addition to groups with animals of different genders, there are exclusively male herds. Older bulls prefer to live alone. In winter, several groups get together. During this period, the territory of their migration decreases sharply. Musk oxen sleep most of the time to save energy. They survive snowstorms, huddled in a close group.
Food
The musk ox eats almost everything, the scarce vegetation of the tundra and the short summer leave him no choice. In the warm season, the bull feeds on herbaceous plants, which are actively developing at this time. Over the course of several weeks, bulls gain weight, build up subcutaneous fat to survive the long cold winter. The bull eats during this period 6-9 times a day, resting between meals.
Closer to autumn, the musk ox switches to feeding on shrubs, small Karelian birches, moss and lichen. When the snow falls, the animals hollow out dead wood and lichen from under it with their hooves. They are able to break up a layer of snow cover about 40 cm thick. If the ground is covered with ice or more snow falls, the herd may starve. After a harsh winter, musk oxen go to look for shale, as they need to replenish mineral reserves.
Goning and mating
Females mature to mate and give birth to calves in the second year of life, at about 11-17 months. Males are a little later, at 2-3 years of age.
The musk ox race starts in July-September. Timing may vary depending on where the animals live. For example, in the east of Greenland, this occurs in the last days of August, and in Norway, in July. Sometimes in the middle of spring, you can observe a false rut, when the males arrange fights with each other. In fact, at this time, we are not talking about females, but about the territory for grazing and dominance in the herd.
Ghosn is divided into three different periods:
- Start. In female musk oxen, estrus begins, they allow themselves to be sniffed, do not show aggression towards males. The dominant male changes his behavior, eats little and almost does not sleep, shows aggression towards younger bulls.
- It's high. The main male creates temporary pairs with one or the other female. Each pair lasts 1-2 days, mates many times.
- Attenuation. Females stop letting the male come closer, he has an appetite, and his aggression towards other bulls decreases.
Fights between bulls during the rutting season are not too aggressive. They knock with their hooves, threaten with horns, compete to see who shouts over whom. After a short time, the weaker one runs away. It is extremely rare for bulls to collide with their heads. There can be up to 40 such collisions in one battle. The death of one of the participants in the fight can occur only in exceptional cases.
Pregnancy and calf birth
The musk ox bear cubs for 8-8.5 months. The lush fur and cylindrical structure of the animal body does not allow to notice this condition in females under external observation. Only highly experienced zoologists can spot pregnant females. Most calves are born at the end of April, when it is already quite warm, the polar day begins, but the herd has not migrated yet. If the female does not have time to calve, she will have to give birth on the way.
When it comes time to give birth, the female musk ox is slightly separated from the herd. Contractions last 5-20 minutes. Immediately after birth, the calf rises to its feet, and after a couple of minutes it sucks on the milk. Calves weigh 8-10 kg and have a thick layer of fat that protects them from frost. Females in the wild give birth to one calf. Twins are extremely rare, most of these calves do not survive, and their mothers often die with them. There is a chance to leave such calves only in a nature reserve or a zoo.
Already from the second week, the young musk ox feeds on grass a little, from a month it makes up an essential part of their diet. The baby eats breast milk up to 5 months. Females often flock to mother herds to better protect the calves. In such a group there can be 7-10 adults and the same number of calves. Youngsters from the first days begin to play with each other, learn social contacts in a group. The mother recognizes her baby by smell, he is guided by his voice and appearance.
The life span of a musk ox is 10-15 years. Females up to 10 years old with good feeding, give birth to calves annually. After this age - in a year. If there is little feed, the musk ox gives birth to one calf every 2 years. If musk oxen are threatened only by natural enemies, and not by humans, their numbers grow rapidly. One female can give birth to 8-10 cubs per life. This is why acclimatization has been so successful in many countries. The endangered polar musk ox has a second chance at life.