One of the oldest mammals alive.

There are some animals on Earth that just got it right from the start. Or at least that is how it seems when looking at fossil records and seeing how they look the same now as they did millions of years ago. The muskox is one good example. Scientists believe it evolved around 3 million years ago possibly making it the oldest large land mammal we have on the planet today. It has outlived many iconic prehistoric animals like mammoths and saber toothed tigers. It has seen multiple glaciation periods (ice ages) come and go. But when other animals were struggling to stay alive during these cold periods, the muskox was doing just fine. Its adaptations for a cold lifestyle are remarkable.

Muskox in Europe.

The muskox died out in Europe around 9,000 years ago. But after the Second World War, in 1947, a population of muskox from northwestern Canada were taken to Dovre mountains in Norway in an effort to try and reintroduce them to Europe once again. The population managed to establish and grow and in 1971 a small group of only 5 animals broke off from the Norwegian population and walked across the border to Sweden. Today it is estimated that the wild Swedish population is up to 14 animals. But journey to where we are today was never easy and continues to be filled with twists and challenges.

We are now looking for collaborators and sponsors to document the story of the muskox and its history in Europe. It is one part of a larger biodiversity project focused around interesting biodiversity stories in Europe. If you are interested to find out more and contribute to this initiative please get in contact.

Phylum: CHORDATA

Class: MAMMALIA (mammals)

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Family: Bovidae (cloven-hoofed ruminants)

Subfamily: Caprinae

Genus: Ovibos

Species: O. moschatus