Muskox in the context of Seasonal breeder

The mammoth steppe, also known as steppe-tundra, was once the Earth's most extensive biome. During glacial periods in the later Pleistocene, it stretched east to west from the Iberian Peninsula in the west of Europe, then across Eurasia and through Beringia (the region including the far northeast of Siberia, Alaska and the now submerged land between them) and into the Yukon in northwest Canada; from north to south, the steppe reached from the Arctic southward to southern Europe, Central Asia and northern China. The mammoth steppe was cold and dry, and relatively featureless—though climate, topography, and geography varied considerably throughout. Certain areas of the biome, such as coastal areas, had wetter and milder climates than others. Some areas featured rivers which through erosion naturally created gorges, gulleys, or small glens. The continual glacial recession and advancement over millennia contributed more to the formation of larger valleys and different geographical features. Overall, however, the steppe is known to be flat and expansive grassland. The vegetation was dominated by palatable, high-productivity grasses, herbs and willow shrubs. Although it was primarily a Eurasian and Beringian biome, an analog of the mammoth steppe existed on the southern edge of the Laurentide ice sheet in North America as well, and contained many of the same animals such as woolly mammoths, muskoxen, scimitar cats, and caribou.

The fauna was dominated by species such as reindeer, muskox, saiga antelope, steppe bison, horses, woolly rhinoceros and woolly mammoth. These herbivores, in turn, were followed and preyed upon by various carnivores, such as wolves, brown bears, Panthera spelaea (the cave or steppe-lion), cave hyenas, wolverines, among others, as well as scimitar-toothed cats and giant short-faced bears in east Beringia (with scimitar-toothed cats also having rare records from the mammoth steppe in Eurasia).

The takin (Budorcas taxicolor); /ˈtɑːkɪn/ is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies, the Mishmi takin (B. t. taxicolor), the golden takin (B. t. bedfordi), the Tibetan (or Sichuan) takin (B. t. tibetana), and the Bhutan takin (B. t. whitei).

Whilst the takin has in the past been placed together with the muskox in the tribe Ovibovini, more recent mitochondrial research shows a closer relationship to Ovis (sheep). Its physical similarity to the muskox is therefore an example of convergent evolution. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan.

Single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs; single wolves have occasionally been observed to kill large prey such as moose, bison and muskoxen unaided. This contrasts with the commonly held belief that larger packs benefit from cooperative hunting to bring down large game. The size of a wolf hunting pack is related to the number of pups that survived the previous winter, adult survival, and the rate of dispersing wolves leaving the pack. The optimal pack size for hunting elk is four wolves, and for bison a large pack size is more successful.

As well as their physical adaptations for hunting hoofed mammals, wolves possess certain behavioural, cognitive, and psychological adaptations to assist with their hunting lifestyle. Wolves are excellent learners that match or outperform domestic dogs. They can use gaze to focus attention on where other wolves are looking. This is important because wolves do not use vocalization when hunting. In laboratory tests, they appear to exhibit insight, foresight, understanding, and the ability to plan. To survive, wolves must be able to solve two problems—finding a prey animal, then confronting it.

Ellesmere Island (Inuktitut: ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ ᓄᓇ, romanized: Umingmak Nuna, lit. 'land of muskoxen'; French: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and third largest island, and the tenth largest in the world. It comprises an area of 196,236 km (75,767 sq mi), slightly smaller than Great Britain, and the total length of the island is 830 km (520 mi).

Lying within the Arctic Archipelago, Ellesmere Island is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Cape Columbia at 83°06′41″N 069°57′13″W / 83.11139°N 69.95361°W / 83.11139; -69.95361 (Cape Columbia) is the most northerly point of land in Canada and one of the most northern points of land on the planet (the most northerly point of land on Earth is the nearby Kaffeklubben Island of Greenland).

Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a strong odor obtained from a gland of the musk deer. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name originates from the Late Greek μόσχος 'moskhos', from Persian mushk and Sanskrit मुष्क muṣka (lit. 'testicle') derived from Proto-Indo-European noun múh₂s meaning "mouse". The deer gland was thought to resemble a scrotum. The term is applied to various plants and animals of similar smell (e.g., muskox) and has come to encompass a wide variety of aromatic substances with similar odors, despite their often differing chemical structures and molecular shapes.

Natural musk was used extensively in perfumery until the late 19th century when economic and ethical motives led to the adoption of synthetic musk, which is now used almost exclusively. The organic compound primarily responsible for the characteristic odor of musk is muscone. There are several ways of preparing the commercial musk, and the best method is to dry the pod by sunning and airing immediately after it is taken from the animal. Natural musk is usually packed in hermetically-sealed vessels and wooden boxes lined with tin foil because of its powerful diffusion of odor.

The Burnside River is a river in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It has its headwaters at Contwoyto Lake, flows across the Precambrian Shield's Contwoyto Plateau, flows through isolated and rugged tundra, into Lake Kathawachaga, and through the Wilberforce Hills region. Before emptying into Bathurst Inlet on the Arctic Ocean, the Mara River empties into the Burnside River. The river has an island, Nadlak, historically notable for Inuit use of caribou antlers as hut roof infrastructures.

The river is surrounded by continuous permafrost. It is migratory crossing path of Bathurst barren-ground caribou. Wildlife includes Arctic wolf, grizzly bears and muskox, while birds include golden eagle, rough-legged hawk and gyrfalcon. Arctic char, Arctic grayling, lake trout, and whitefish are also found in the river. Plants along the shoreline include dwarf willow and alder, plus 125 different wild flowers.

Umingmaktok (Inuinnaqtun: Umingmaktuuq "like a musk ox", or "he or she caught a muskox") is a ghost town on Bathurst Inlet in the Kitikmeot of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The community was previously known as Bay Chimo.

The area around Umingmaktuuq is said to be rich in wildlife such as the Arctic fox, fur seals, barren-ground caribou, Arctic char and muskox.