Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bears little resemblance to any other animal and its only known relative is the takin
of northern Tibet.
Musk ox weigh between 225kg and 445kg, and have incredibly high shoulders and
an enormous low-slung head with two broad, flat horns that cross the forehead,
curving outwards and downwards before twisting upwards and forwards. Its thick
and shaggy coat, with a matted fleece of soft hair underneath, covers the whole body.
Only the bottom part of the legs protrude, giving the animal the appearance of a me-
dieval horse dressed for a joust. During the rutting season, when the males gather
their harems, they repeatedly charge each other, butting their heads together with a
crash heard for miles around. This heated battle continues until one animal admits
defeat and lumbers off. In winter, they stand perfectly still for hours to conserve en-
ergy, a position some scientists have described as 'standing hibernation'.
Traditionally, the musk ox's main predator has been the wolf; its primary defence
is to form a circle with the males on the outside and females and calves inside, trust-
ing in the force of its collective horns to rip open attackers. This defence has proven
useless against human hunters, especially the Greenlandic Inuit, and numbers have
been seriously depleted.
The musk ox died out in Norway almost 2000 years ago, but in 1931 ten animals
were reintroduced to Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella from Greenland. Musk oxen all but
vanished during WWII, but 23 were transplanted from Greenland between 1947 and
1953. The herd has now grown to around 80 animals and some have shifted east-
wards into Femundsmarka National Park to form a new herd. Wild herds can also be
found in parts of Greenland, Canada and Alaska.
In
Arctic Dreams,
Barry Lopez's account of the Arctic North, the author recalls his
first encounter with a musk ox: 'In that moment I was struck by qualities of the an-
imal that have stayed with me the longest: the movement was Oriental, and the pose
one of meditation. The animal seemed to quiver with attention before he lowered his
massive head and moved on, with the most deliberate step I have ever seen a large
animal take.'
Your best chance of seeing the musk ox is to take a musk ox safari, either from
Oppdal (
Click here
) or Dombås (
Click here
). You may also see them while hiking
through the Røa and Mugga Rivers section of Femundsmarka National Park (
Click
here
) in summer.
Musk oxen aren't inherently aggressive towards humans, but an animal that feels
threatened can charge at speeds of up to 60km/h and woe betide anything that gets in
its way.
