Musk Ox
Ovibos moschatus
IUCN Red List: Least Concern
In the early to mid-2000s, scientists studying Musk Ox in Alaska observed that extreme weather conditions are decimating local populations. Heavy rain-on-snow events freeze much of the local flora, causing many Musk Ox to starve. They even recorded "Frozen tsunamis", which bury Musk Ox in ice, killing groups inland over night.¹
As the climate warmed up after the last Ice Age, Musk Ox were one of the few species to survive - this was almost 130,000 years ago!² These "shaggy survivors" now roam in northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. Their wool, qiviut (the Eskimo word for underwool) can be sustainably harvested in spring and provides a source of income for many local Alaskan tribes.³
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Featured Non-Profit:
Alaska Conservation Foundation
The Alaska Conservation Foundation's (ACF) mission is to protect Alaska’s unique landscapes and ways of life by supporting conservation leaders, organizations, and initiatives. Alaska is home to some of the world's most precious and diverse ecosystems. Alaska is also experiencing some of the most extreme impacts of climate change observed in the U.S.. The ACF is focused on building climate change resilience and protecting public lands and waters in Alaska.
MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
SOURCES
1 Animals are shrinking and freezing to death in a changing Arctic - By Craig Welch
2 Musk Ox - By The National Park Service