They’re a tad short in absolute terms: That’s the first surprise.
They . . . stand about 130 cm high . . . (Ed’s note: The height of an average 8- or 9-year-old human, give or take ) – Canadian Encyclopedia
Moreover, they’re a tad short for their weight.
They . . . weigh 180-270 kg . . . (Ed’s note: That average 8 or 9-year-old human weighs about 27 kg)
They’re gracefully proportioned.
They have humped shoulders and short legs . . .
Chunky and squat. Excellent. But hey, they’re ours. Well, and Alaska’s and Greenland’s. And how can you not love an animal that stands together to protect its young?
Muskoxen are legally protected from hunting, and their soft under-fur, qiviut, is a renewable resource that protects them economically to some extent.
Vegetarian Version
MosaiCanada, Gatineau
Stuffed Version
Iqaluit Airport
Photographer Ron Cole told me that perhaps his most profound spiritual experience was sitting a tussock of permafrost, almost nose to nose with a muskox, for half an hour. Neither moved; they just absorbed each other.
Jim T
Jim – Nice! It would take some guts to sit nose-to-nose with something that heavy . . .