(Ovibos moschatus) The musk ox is the last of the great prehistoric animals. They lived alongside mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses during the last ice age - even in our country. The mammoths and rhinoceroses have been extinct for a long time, but the musk oxen continue to survive in the harsh and cold tundra areas. The musk oxen died out in Scandinavia 3000 years ago. In the summer of 1971, a handful of musk oxen migrated to Härjedalen from Norway. By the mid-1980s, the number of animals was about 34. The musk oxen's only natural enemy is the wolf. The adult musk oxen form a tight ring (with their horns outward) around the calves as a defense against wolf attacks. The wolves have a very difficult time getting past the "living wall" and taking the calves.
| Belongs to: |
Order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) |
| Family: |
Hollow-horned animals (Bovidae) |
| Weight: |
Between 225-400 kg. Bulls are significantly heavier than cows. |
| Lifespan: |
Around 20 years. |
| Mating season: |
July - August |
| Gestation period: |
7 - 9 months |
| Calves: |
They are born in April-June the year after mating. |
