While up in Alaska, I've seen a couple of animals that I haven't seen (other than in zoos). We went to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Large Animal Research Station (LARS).
While there, we saw musk oxen. They are much smaller than I thought they would be. They were only about 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Even though they are so small, they are very formidable looking animals.
Bull Musk OX
The most exciting part was going inside the barn and petting a gelded male musk ox who was in a chute. Since it is spring, they are going to soon begin shedding their undercoat which is called qiviut. It is an incredibly soft, warm hair that is often spun into yarn. It is 5 times warmer than sheep's wool and much, much lighter in weight. It is relatively uncommon and becuase of it's insulating qualities, it sells for an very high price! $25/ounce!! To demonstrate how much qiviut one musk ox can produce, Lindsey Blaine (tour and marketing coordinator, LARS) allowed us to feel the "spongy" fur. It was like pushing down on a very fluffy pillow. Then, she combed out a hand-sized section of quiviut and let us place our hand in the opening. My hand sunk about 3-4 inches down below the suface of Bernie's fur and I was able to touch his skin and feel the muscle beneath. She then passed the qiviut around so we could feel how soft it is. I would love to have an outfit made entirely of qiviut, but certainly can not afford it!
Petting Bernie, the musk ox.
We also saw a field of caribou and reindeer females. I learned many interesting facts about caribou, some of which were very surprising. Both male and female caribou grow antlers and they both lose their antlers in the fall unless the female is pregnant.
Female caribou
The reason the female retains her antlers is for winter protection of her food source. It is far easier for her to defend the food she has recently uncovered from larger, aggressive males who are also searching for food.
Female caribou. The antlers indicate that she is pregnant.
The difference between caribou and reindeer is that reindeer are a subspecies of caribou. Basically, reindeer have been selectively breed over hundreds of generations and can be considered domesticated.
Female reindeer. She is slightly smaller than a female caribou. The dark patch on her side near her rump is a port. A port is an opening that leads into one of her stomachs so researchers can access its contents.