This is a Muskox, a distant cousin of modern day goats and sheep. Once widespread during the Pleistocene epoch, Muskoxen crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia somewhere between 200,000 to 90,000 years ago and thrived throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The species eventually died out in Europe and Asia roughly 9,000 to 2,000 years ago during the Pleistocene/Holocene extinction event reducing their range to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Populations in Alaska were wiped out in the early 20th Century likely from a combination of shifting climate patterns and excessive hunting, however due to reintroduction efforts there are now an estimated 4,000 animals in Alaska's arctic wilderness. Insulated from the most extreme colds by a hefty coat of underwool, Muskoxen remain in high latitudes throughout the harsh winter months. You can even catch a glimpse of them standing near the fence at the Large Animal Research Station (LARS) run through the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM + 1.4x, ISO-800 f/5.6 @ 1/500 sec
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