Where does the muskox live?
The muskox is found mainly in Greenland, the Canadian Arctic (Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and Alaska. It was formerly present in Eurasia: its youngest natural records date to around 2,700 years ago. There are reintroduced populations in Alaska, the Yukon and Siberia, and an introduced population in Norway, part of which emigrated to Sweden, where a small population now lives.
What does the muskox eat?
The muskox eats grasses, arctic willows, woody plants and lichens. It is noted for its thick coat, and for the strong odour emitted by males during the seasonal rut, from which its name derives and which attracts females. Its Inuktitut name, umingmak, means "the bearded one".
Is the muskox endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. During the Pleistocene it was much more widespread: its abundance peaked 20,000 years ago, then declined, and only the populations in North America survived. The last known muskox population in Europe died out in Sweden 9,000 years ago.
