Ovibos moschatus

• Main Authors: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Lynx Edicions 2011
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Artiodactyla; Bovidae; Ovibos; Ovibos moschatus; Churchill; Greenland; muskox; ovibos moschatus; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6773144; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F5071399CDFF76037FFB9EF8E3F3E9

227. Muskox Ovibos moschatus French: Boeuf-musqué / German: Moschusochse / Spanish: Buey almizclero Taxonomy. Bos moschatus Zimmerman, 1780, Canada (Manitoba, between Seal and Churchill rivers). The Muskox originated in Asia and spread to North America ¢.90,000 years ago. Ouvibos and Budorcas were formerly considered closely related and classified in the tribe Ovibovini, but Ovibos, based on mtDNA analysis, has a closer genetic relationship to Nemorhaedus and Capricornis than to other genera of the tribe Caprini. Control-region sequences of mtDNA comparisons between Muskox populations reveal small differences and do not support recognition of subspecies. Monotypic. Distribution. Arctic areas of Alaska, Canada, and NE & N Greenland. Successfully introduced into W & SW Greenland, Norway, Russia, and several areas of Alaska outside their natural range. Descriptive notes Head-body 190-230 cm, tail 9-10 cm, shoulder height 120-151 cm; weight 200-410 kg. Adult males are 25% larger than females. Amber-colored horns emanate from a boss (knob-like protuberance) and grow down below the eye and outward, with sharp, upturned tips. General body color is dark brown, the legs and middle back are white, and the muzzle is pale. The blocky body, broad head, short and stout legs, short neck, humped shoulder, and voluminous, long shaggy hair that extends beyond the knees and in some individuals to the ground combine to distinguish Muskoxen from other caprines. So does their tendency to stand with the head held low, and the slight slope of the body from the shoulder to the hindquarters. The Muskox is the largest herbivore in the circumpolar Arctic. An exceptionally thick coat of underwool and large stores of body fat that provide energy and insulation in adults and calves are adaptations to extreme cold conditions. Muskoxen do not exhibit a latitudinal or climatic trend in body size. Diploid chromosome number is 52. Habitat. Most populations occur on tundra in areas of shallow snow or in wind-swept foraging sites with lower ...