KidZone Animals
Musk Ox: Offspring

After mating in the fall, the female musk oxen remain pregnant through the winter, for 8 to 9 months, giving birth to a single calf in the spring. Twins are possible, but very rare. Each female gives birth to a calf every year or two.

Musk Oxen: Cow and Calf
Photographed by dration;
used with permission under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The young musk ox are nursed by their mothers for about one year at which time they also find nutrients from grass. In order to stay warm in the barren arctic tundra the calves will huddle into the thick coats of their mothers.

Young female musk oxen reach sexual maturity at around the age of 2. While young male musk oxen reach sexual maturity much later at around the age of 5.