Musk ox Adult Male Skull Replica measures 20 inches. Horns measure 21.3 inches or 54cm. Musk ox Adult Male Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Species Ovilbos moschatus
Both male and female musk ox or Ovibos moschatus have long, curved horns. Muskox or Ovibos moschatus stand 4 to 5 ft. high at the shoulder. The small tail, often concealed under a layer of fur, measures only 3.9 in. long. Adults, on average, weigh 630 lb.
The thick coat and large head suggests a larger animal than the musk ox or Ovibos moschatus truly is. Their coat, a mix of black, grey, and brown, includes long guard hairs that almost reach the ground.
Rare white musk ox have been spotted in the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary. Ovibos moschatus are occasionally domesticated for wool, meat, and milk. The wool, qiviut, is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulation value.
Prices for yarn range between $40 and $80 per ounce. A muskox or Ovibos moschatus can reach speeds of up to 37 mph. Their life expectancy is 12 to 20 years.
Musk ox or Ovibos moschatus live in herds of 12 to 24 in the winter and 8 to 20 in the summer. They do not hold territories, but they do mark their trails with preorbital glands. Male and female muskox both have separate age-based hierarchies, with mature msukox being dominant over juveniles.
Dominant Ovibos moschatus tend to get access to the best resources and will displace subordinates from patches of grass during the winter. Muskox bulls assert their dominance in many different ways.
One is a “rush and butt”, in which a dominant bull rushes a subordinate from the side with its horns, and will warn the subordinate so it can have a chance to get away.
Musk ox are occasionally semi-domesticated for wool, and rarely for meat and milk.
The U.S. state of Alaska has several musk ox farms specifically aimed at wool harvesting. The wool, called qiviut, is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulation value. Prices for yarn range between $40 and $80 oz.
