The Inuktitut name for muskoxen, umingmak, translates as “the bearded one”, and it is the bovine’s long, shaggy coat which is one of its two defining features. The other is indicated by the animal’s English name – during the seasonal rut, males emit a strong musk in order to attract females, an odour which has been described as “light, sweetish and ethereal”. The muskox in fact has two coats of hair to protect them against the harsh Arctic winters, and during the summer, they lose most of their undercoat as temperatures rise. This undercoat - known as qiviut - is often collected by local Inuit and is said to be eight times warmer than lambswool! The large mammals are native to the far north and northeast of Greenland, but there are introduced populations living up and down the west coast. Kangerlussuaq is perhaps the best place to see muskoxen in the wild, as a herd of almost 10,000 live in this area alone. On the east coast, trips to shore in small groups are the best way to encounter these amazing creatures where you can find them out on the tundra eating roots, mosses and lichens, as well as summer staples like grass and Arctic flowers. Muskox are sometimes skittish and prefer to stay away from the company of humans, but for keen photographers, a good sighting of these pre-historic looking beasts is worth the patience needed to track them down – their imposing forms make for perfect photographs of this otherworldly place.