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 38 gregarious musk oxen DHJanzen101170.jpg high resolution
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| For a closer view, these highly social bovids with their very, very dense long fur can be brought south (here, at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks) but their real world is the wind-swept tundra north of the tree line. Here the winter winds sweep off much of the snow, allowing them to get at the ground level browse, and here only the occasional pack of wolves might stray from the easier hunting grounds with the caribou to the south. Musk oxen have the reputation of being not too bright, but then again, given the non-complexity of their habitat this may not be too surprising. Their habit of the herd forming a defensive circle with the calves inside makes them easy prey for hunters with guns. | ||
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