Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
September 2021

Muskox Research in Alaska

By Riley Woodford

Muskox shared the open tundra of ice-age Alaska with mammoths and mastodons, steppe bison and caribou. Herds of stocky, shaggy muskox faced off Beringian lions, short-faced bears, wolves and scimitar cats. As a species, muskox outlived most of their Pleistocene contemporaries; although they suffered a setback in the 19th century, today close to 4,000 muskox live in Alaska.

Biologists with the Division of Wildlife Conservation have monitored muskox for decades, but in 2018 a position was ...   Muskox Research Article Continued

Muskox Guide

By Riley woodford

Muskoxen, Alaska’s shaggy, hook-horned behemoths, are featured in an updated and redesigned pocket-size, full-color wildlife guide.

Muskoxen: A guide to identification, hunting and viewing was first published in 2010. A bit larger than a smartphone, the 40-page guide highlights muskox information such as distribution, life history, attributes and behavior; identification (by age and sex – and including an ID quiz); almost a dozen pages devoted to hunting, and a section ...   Muskox Guide Article Continued

Caribou Health and Disease: A Pocket Guide

By Jen Curl

Every August and September, staff at the front desk of every Alaska Department of Fish and Game office get phone calls from hunters, alarmed because “there is something in my game meat!” The phone call generally unfolds as a series of questions: “What is it? Can I/should I still eat the meat? Is it safe? Is there anything I should do to avoid or prevent eating something unsafe? Is this safe for my family, pets? Should I bring a sample in for diagnosis? Does ADF&G want samples? ...   Caribou Guide Article Continued