# Muskox (*Ovibos moschatus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/muskox  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The muskox (Ovibos moschatus) is a living mammal of the family Bovidae, placed in the subfamily Antilopinae and the tribe Caprini within the order Artiodactyla. It falls in the giant size class, with a representative adult body mass of 340.5 kg. The muskox is a diurnal, terrestrial herbivore whose main foods are lichen, moss, salix arctica and woody plant. It has a gestation period of 258 days, reaches sexual maturity at 3.3 years, has a lifespan of 24 years and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 312.5 kg – 340.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 24 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 27.4 years |
| Main food | lichen, moss, salix arctica, woody plant |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 258 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.01 |
| Age at maturity | 3.11 years – 3.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.8 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Ovibos
- species: *Ovibos moschatus* (Zimmermann, 1780)

Synonyms: *Bos moschatus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the muskox?

The muskox is a mammal in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, belonging to the subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Caprini.

### How heavy is a muskox?

A muskox has a representative adult body mass of 340.5 kg, which places it in the giant size class.

### What does the muskox eat?

The muskox is a herbivore. Its main foods are lichen, moss, salix arctica and woody plant.

### Is the muskox endangered?

No. The muskox is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a muskox live?

The muskox has a lifespan of 24 years, with values up to 27.4 years reported.

### How many young does a muskox have?

A muskox has 1.01 young per litter and 0.8 litters per year, after a gestation period of 258 days.

### When does a muskox reach sexual maturity?

A muskox reaches sexual maturity at 3.3 years, with reported values from 3.1 to 3.5 years.

### Who named the muskox?

The muskox was named Ovibos moschatus by Zimmermann in 1780, with the authority written as (Zimmermann, 1780).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Muskox (Ovibos moschatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/muskox