The musk ox is a large shaggy animal, that can weigh up to 900 pounds.

Both the males and females have horns.

A musk oxen's coat keeps it snug and warm. For winter they grow thick undercoats of soft brown fleece and thick overcoats of shaggy, long straight hair that hangs down to the ground. Inuit use the soft underfur for weaving a luxurious wool.  Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox, is shed naturally each year during the spring months. Eight times warmer than wool and extraordinarily lightweight, Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man.

To protect themselves from their enemies musk oxen gather in groups of 10 to 20.  They snort when annoyed. When they try to run away from enemies the musk oxen get tired and overheated. If the musk oxen sense danger they form a defensive circle around their young and face their enemies. They may even charge and try to gore the enemy with their horns. The arctic wolf is their main enemy.

For food musk oxen feed on grasses, lichens and willow trees. The herd keeps moving while they are eating. Their hooves spread out allowing the musk oxen to walk on snow without sinking too deep. The sharp hooves help them to get at the grasses that are buried under the snow.

In the early 1900s the musk oxen were overhunted and almost disappeared. They were easy to kill when they formed a circle. Musk oxen were hunted for their meat and the hides were sold . In 1917 the Canadian government passed a law against killing the musk ox. Now there are about 60,000 musk oxen living in Nunavut.

The male musk ox gives off a "musky smell" when excited.The bulls have a gland under their eyes that leaves a musky odor when rubbed on branches of bushes or trees.