Musk Ox can be found in four areas of Alaska. The original introductions of the Greenland Musk Ox (the mainland Musk Ox originally present in Alaska went locally extinct in the 1800’s, assuming they were the same subspecies as the Canadian population), took place in the 1930’s on Nunivak Island in Bristol Bay. From there the state introduced the animals to the Seward Pennisula near Nome, Cape Thompson in the north-west of the state, the Arctic Slope north of the Brooks Range, and Nelson Island also in Bristol Bay, but closer to the mainland.
The Musk Ox was able to colonize the mainland between the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers on their own. The Seward Peninsula herds are pretty easily seen from the three roads leading out of Nome. The Arctic Slope herds are lightly scattered from the Canadian border west to the Colville River, with small bands moving between the northern foothills and the Arctic coast. These animals can often be seen from the Dalton Highway in the summer months.
Alaska’s four domestic/captive herds (Fairbanks, Palmer, Anchorage, and Portage) are also derived from the Nunivak animals.
