The musk ox that re-established the Alaska herd first came to this research station in the 1930s.

This bull musk ox is still shedding its underhair, called qiviut, which makes the heat intolerable.

It's all in the eye ... musk ox @ LARS — UAF in Fairbanks, AK.

Female musk ox have a thinner head boss and more delicate horns ... LARS — UAF in Fairbanks, AK.

Ruth, the reindeer calf, with her mama @ LARS — UAF in Fairbanks, AK.

Ruth, the reindeer calf, was shy, but came up to introduce herself @ LARS — UAF in Fairbanks, AK.

Male and female musk ox skulls @ LARS — UAF in Fairbanks, AK.

Circular channels inside the skull of the musk ox help to warm the frigid air it breathes in.

Oomingmak & Reindeer @ LARS

7 de junio de 2021, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

Blue skies ... sunshine ... and a temp of 74F today. Overcast and rain the next few days. Hmmm.

So, we decided to jiggle our plans and go to LARS — the Large Animal Research Station — operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. One can wander around the front pen area without a guide. But to have a better chance of seeing the animals and learn about them, one must take a tour ... given twice a day ... at 10:00a and 2:00p.

The only species at LARS now are musk oxen and reindeer ... the latter with a cute calf named Ruth. I was hoping for a few more large animals, but the tour was interesting nonetheless.

The blazing sun made the day intolerable for both the musk ox and the reindeer, so they were hiding in the trees. But a few of them took the “branches of leaf” bribe our guide carried with her and came up to the fence line. We wrapped up the tour in the “touchy-feely” tent where we had a chance to fell the hides of both species and study their skulls.

Overall, a good opportunity to learn about whatever species happen to be at the research station at the time one visits.Leer más

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