SynapsidaBovidae

Ovibos moschatus

Muskox

Ovibos moschatus skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, length ~2.4 m.
Scale bar = 1 meter
Taxon
Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780)
Reconstructed length
~2.4 m (8 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2016, revised 2026
Clade
  1. Synapsida
  2. Therapsida
  3. Mammalia
  4. Placentalia
  5. Laurasiatheria
  6. Artiodactyla
  7. Bovidae

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The living muskox of the Arctic tundra. Despite the name, it is more closely related to sheep and goats than to oxen, and its genus name (Ovibos) translates to “sheep-ox”. Both sexes carry horns that meet in a broad boss across the forehead, although adult males can be differentiated by their somewhat larger size.

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