Location
Until the late 1700s, barren ground muskoxen were found from Point Barrow, Alaska, eastward across the north slope of Alaska and Canada to Port Nelson, Manitoba (on Hudson Bay), and northward to include King William Island and the Boothia and Melville peninsulas. Subsequently exterminated in Alaska, and nearly so on the mainland of Canada, by whaling and sealing crews, trappers, and native people with modern firearms who hunted them for their meat and skins. Conservation efforts have allowed them to recover in many areas; however, their natural distribution is less extensive than before.
Today, barren ground muskoxen are found only in Canada, on the north slope of the mainland from about Cape Bathurst on the Beaufort Sea eastward to about Chesterfield Inlet on Hudson Bay, and southward to latitude 63°N between Artillery and Dubawnt lakes. The classification of the few muskoxen on King William Island is uncertain, but for record-keeping purposes we are considering them to be of the barren ground subspecies.
Description
The name “muskox” refers to the strong, musky odor emitted from the male’s facial glands during the rut. Muskoxen are believed to have migrated to North America over the Bering land bridge during the Glacial Age. Overall the muskox can weigh up to 750 pounds or more. Females are about 30 percent smaller than males. The largest specimens have been recorded from the Canadian mainland; those from the high arctic and Greenland are much smaller. The muskox is relatively unchanged from prehistoric times. Its long, shaggy coat equips it superbly for life in the arctic. Its body hair is the longest of any animal, with individual guard hairs exceeding 24 inches in length. The dense inner coat of fine wool protects it from the cold and frost, while the outer coat, reaching past the knees, sheds snow and rain. The build is stocky, with slightly humped shoulders, short neck and legs and very large hoofs. The head is carried low. General coloration is dark brown, with the saddle and lower legs pale. Males have massive horns, forming bosses that nearly meet on top of the head, then curve down, around and up to sharp points. Females have similar horns, although they are much less massive.
The Barren Ground Muskox, also called mainland muskox, or black-faced muskox, has a larger body and horns than the Greenland muskox, and tends to have a darker face, saddle, and lower legs.
Remarks
TAXONOMIC NOTES The so-called Hudson Bay, or Wager, muskox (niphoecus) from King William Island, the Boothia and Melville peninsulas, and the area bordered on the west by the Back River and on the south by Baker Lake and Chesterfield Inlet is no longer is considered a valid subspecies and is combined here with the barren ground muskox.
Source: Safari Club International (SCI).
Recommended Outfitters
