musk ox

Definition

An Arctic mammal, Ovibos moschatus of the Caprinae subfamily of the family Bovidae, having a thick coat and long curved horns.

Etymology

So called because of the strong odour, or musk, emitted by the males during the rutting season.

Example Sentences

• "Its ʽcore faunaʼ consisted of the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, saiga, muskox and the arctic fox. All except the woolly rhino evolved in the northern Arctic, and all had been evolving for several million years before their modern forms appeared."