Ecology of muskoxen in Jameson Land, northeast Greenland

• Published in: Ecography
• Main Authors: Thing, H., Klein, D. R., Jingfors, K., Holt, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1987
• Subjects: Greenland; Jameson Land; inuits; ovibos moschatus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1987.tb00744.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0587.1987.tb00744.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1987.tb00744.x

Muskoxen Ovibos moschatus in Jameson Land exist at a density of somewhat more than 1 km −2 of useable habitat and select moist meadows and snow bed vegetation for summer grazing and wind‐exposed, dry dwarf shrub heath vegetation in winter. Graminoids dominate the winter diet and willows are the main component of the summer diet. Quality of the winter diet, as measured by the protein to fiber ratio is about one fourth that of the summer diet. During summer muskoxen supplement dietary sodium by using mineral licks. Muskoxen, especially females, retain considerable unused fat reserves through the winter and these are drawn upon during the post‐calving period of lactation. Alternate year breeding is a common occurrence. Calves are frequently not weaned before the end of their first winter. Mean calf mortality is relatively low in the absence of significant predation and annual removal by hunting Inuits approaches the annual increment.