Helmeted Muskox
Bootherium bombifrons
🐂🪖
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Bootherium bombifrons
The Woodland Muskox, Bootherium bombifrons, was a cold-adapted Ice Age bovid that roamed North America during the Late Pleistocene. Unlike the modern muskox, it thrived in more open woodlands and prairies, bridging the gap between steppe grazers and forest browsers. Early Paleoindians likely hunted this species alongside mammoths and ancient bison
Description
The Helmeted Muskox (Bootherium bombifrons) was a Pleistocene-era bovid endemic to North America. Unlike the modern Arctic muskox (Ovibos moschatus), Bootherium was adapted to a variety of less frigid climates, inhabiting regions from Alaska to Texas and as far east as New Jersey. Physically, it was taller and leaner than today's muskoxen, with an estimated weight of around 423.5 kilograms (934 pounds). Distinctive features included a thicker skull and a longer snout. Its horns were positioned high on the skull, curving downward and fusing along the midline, unlike the separated horns of the tundra muskox.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
300
1.6
2.4
2.7
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Though direct archaeological evidence is rare, it is very likely that Paleoindian groups hunted Bootherium bombifrons for meat, hides, and bone tools. Its more southerly distribution would have brought it into frequent contact with Clovis and other early hunter-gatherers.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Interaction:
Saltville Valley (Virginia, USA, ~14,500 years ago) — Remains of Bootherium found with stone tools suggest possible butchery.
Big Bone Lick (Kentucky, USA) — A major fossil site containing Bootherium alongside other Pleistocene megafauna, long known to Indigenous peoples.
Alaska and Yukon Fossil Beds — Well-preserved skulls and horn cores found, often near early human settlement areas, suggest interaction or opportunistic hunting.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
11000
BP
Late Pleistocene
North America
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
18
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4