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Musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) The musk-ox is the last one of the big prehistoric animals. They used to live with mammoths and woolly rhinos during the last ice age - even in our country. The mammoth and the woolly rhino became extinct ages ago, but the musk-ox still lives in the barren and cold tundra areas. The musk-ox died out in Scandinavia 3 000 years ago. In the summer of 1971, though, a handful of musk-oxen wandered from Norway into the Province of Härjedalen. In the mid-80s there were about 35 animals. Its only natural enemy is the wolf. The grown-ups will form a tight ring (with their horns pointed outwards) around their calves when wolves attack. It is extremely difficult for the wolves to get past this "living wall" and take the calves.
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Order: Even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla)
Family: Hollow-horned animals (Bovidae)
Weight: 225-400 kilos (bulls are very much heavier than cows)
Life span: More than 20 years
Mating period: July-August
Calves: Are born in April-May the year after mating
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