A shaggy mascot in the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife has been granted a new moniker: “Elon Muskox”.

The muskox sculpture bears little resemblance to its namesake, Elon Musk, the headline-grabbing tech entrepreneur.

But residents in the capital city of Northwest Territories took a liking to the play on words in an online contest to name the new artwork.

Yellowknife launched the poll to name the sculpture earlier this month.

“We are definitely hoping to get a response from Elon Musk, maybe even invite him to our city for a meet and greet with Elon Muskox,” Yellowknife communications officer Stephanie Vandeputte told the BBC.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image caption

Tesla founder Elon Musk

Yellowknife resident Eric Fuhrmannwith came up with the winning entry, which received 123 votes.

Runner-ups include Me’die’ah, which means the bearded one; Ethel, after Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the first indigenous woman elected to Canada’s parliament; and Musky McMuskoxface.