I'm writing the chapters on animals today! I was reminded of one of the most impressive sights I've ever seen in my life: the Arctic Musk Ox. Despite the rather negative name, these tough cousins of bison are impressive in person. They have existed since the time of the wooly mammoth and nearly faced extinction in the early 1900's before hunting regulations were implented to protect assorted populations. The herd I saw was on Devon Island, the largest uninhabited (by man) island on planet earth. They are huge, powerful animals that are incredibly shy. The reason for their timidness is the fact almost anything bigger than an Arctic fox that encounters them mostly likely wants to eat them! Polar bears,wolves, humans, and even walrus will attack musk ox.
As for their eating habits, Musk ox dine on the extremely sparse willows and grasses growing on the rocky Arctic shoreline. When attacked, the biggest males will form a ring around females and calves, an effective defense tactic against animals but useless against the merciless guns of man. So let's hear it for the mighty musk ox, buffalo of the truth north and wooly pal of species long since extinct!
