Return to search

History, distribution and ecology of the Muskoxen

The purpose of this study is to summarize and relate the major characteristics of the genera comprised in the Tribe Ovibovini, including those groups, fossil and living. With the limited data at hand a tentative phylogenetic chart has also been drawn up. It is hoped that mapping the past distribution of tribe members and also considering the existing genera in the light of environmental influences prevalent at the time, will facilitate explanation of their distributional pattern and give some idea as to the ecological adaptations among muskoxen as well as the approximate dispersal center of the group. There has been much fragmental work carried on in various countries and concerning confined phases of distribution and taxonomy of the Ovibovini but the history of the tribe is essentially Holarctic and must be considered from that viewpoint in order to obtain an integrated, meaningful picture. Information in some detail is provided on the ecology, behaviour and possible economic future of one of the existing species, Ovibos moschatus. Much of the material in this case has been derived from a year’s data taken in the vicinity of Lake Hazen, N.W.T., augmented by further field work near Alert, N.W.T., and on the northern coast of Devon Island.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.95756
Date January 1961
CreatorsHarington, C. R. (Charles Richard), 1933-
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Science (Department of Geography)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relation3457911, Theses scanned by McGill Library.

Page generated in 0.0016 seconds