Winter Management

The NYT’s Natalie Angier is one of my favourite popular science writers. Her stuff is always interesting and she has a really fun writing style. Today she profiles the muskox, and its particular genius for survival:

With their stubby legs, musk oxen are not migratory like caribou or great dashers like reindeer. Their basic approach to winter management is: Don’t just do something — stand there. “You’ll see them in a big storm, drifted over, covered with snow,” said Dr. Lawler. “They’re almost part of the scenery.”

Meanwhile, here’s an old HWW profile: