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Photos: Musk ox, bison and reindeer at the Large Animal Research Station in Fairbanks

Musk ox have been in Alaska and the northern hemisphere for over 600,000 years. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.

The Large Animal Research Station run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks hosted a birthday bash for recently birthed 3-month-old musk-oxen. “The top one and two males will gather females for mating season” said Bonnie Mariott, a staff member at LARS.

“These Musk Oxen will be going to Minto flats with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, they might leave mothers and calves”

The average lifespan of musk ox is up to 20 years in the wild while up to 25 years in captivity. The research station is maintained for a wide variety of research and educational projects and are valuable for research in biology, biomedicine, wildlife protocols and evaluating use in Alaska’s agricultural field.

3-month-old musk oxen lay under the trees during their event. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
The Large Animal Research Station currently houses a herd of 42 Alaskan reindeer for research. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
A female musk ox grazes on vegetation given from a staff member. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
A drone operator films a bison herd for the event. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
Attendees gather at different activities for the birthday bash. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
A herd of Bison grazes on the former Yankovich Farm, which is now the Large Animal Research Station. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
Musk ox skeleton showing the anatomy of musk ox inside a research tent. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
Musk ox have been in Alaska and the northern hemisphere for over 600,000 years. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
Musk ox are part of the Bovidae family and the caprinae subfamily, being more closely related to sheep than bison. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
This event attracted many attendees from the Fairbanks area. Photo by Vaidm Bledsoe.
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