An adult muskox cow and newly born calf rest on the spring tundra of Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Muskox are one of the most prehistoric looking animals I’ve ever photographed. They populated Alaska during the close of the Pleistocene era but went extinct sometime in the mid-1800’s. Thanks to a reintroduction program, they now inhabit Alaska’s Arctic once again. Their underfur, also known as qiviut, is a dense wool-like fur that holds tremendous insulation value. Single muskox calves are born in the early spring, from April to June and they grow quite rapidly while feeding on the sedges, grasses, and plants of the tundra. In Alaska, Muskoxen can be photographed on the Arctic North Slope, in regions around Nome, and on Nunivak Island.
