Sadly, it turns out that musk oxen, along with caribou and reindeer (another creature of childhood lore) are facing a mysterious new threat triggered by global warming.

Researchers are starting to look at the potentially disastrous effects of the “rain on snow” phenomenon, which occurs when warm air suddenly turns arctic snows to rain or slush.  The rain freezes and forms a hard layer of ice on top of the snow, which prevents musk oxen, caribou, and reindeer from grazing.

The result?  National Geographic News reports:

“In October 2003 on Banks Island in Canada's Northwest Territories, a rain-on-snow event caused the deaths of more than a quarter of the musk-ox population—20,000 animals.  Some native people reported the unusual sight of musk-oxen walking onto floating sea ice in search of food, drifting to watery graves.”

The rain-on-snow effect highlights what the polar bears already know: the Arctic is feeling the pressure of global warming more intensely than other parts of the planet.  Temperatures there are rising twice as quickly as in the rest of the world.  

Just something to reflect upon while we're waiting for the Bush administration's overdue decision on protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.