Description - Moose are the largest and heaviest member of the deer family with bull moose (male) weighing over 1200lbs, while cow moose (female) are often more than 850lbs. Calves weigh around 35 lbs. at birth but gain size fast. Their most common predators are wolves, bears and humans.
Habitat - A moose habitat needs aquatic edible plants, such as pond grasses as well as shrubs and young trees. Moose travel though many different areas to address their needs at that time. Moose are cold-adapted mammals with thick skin, and a dense, heat-retaining coat, and a low surface: volume ratio, which provides excellent cold tolerance but cannot deal with the heat very well. In hot weather, moose are a lot like us and can often be found wading or swimming in lakes or and ponds. They can be found along the edges of lakes, in muskegs and streams in the boreal forest, as well as the wooded hillsides of mountains and quite possibly in the ditch along a highway in forested areas.
Tracks and Scat
Key Features – The male's antlers grow as cylindrical beams projecting on both sides of the head at 90 degrees to the midline of the skull, and then fork. The lower prong of this fork may be either single, or split into two or three times, with some flattening.
Signs of Animal Activity / Warning Signs – Hair raising on the back of the neck and the hump, smacking of lips, and laying their ears back are some signs of aggression saw within moose. Other signs include grunting and the stomping of feet. Moose are known quite often to bluff charge, myself I don’t want to see this, so I tend to view them from a distance with either binoculars or a zoom lens on my camera. I find anything around 300mm and above does the trick quite nicely depending on distance of course.
Behaviors – Though not overly aggressive, moose do attack more people than bears and wolves combined. Moose are unpredictable and if you harass one, it’s more than likely going to attack you. Adult bull moose have been known to fend off black and grizzly bear attacks as well as having been witnessed stomping on wolves. A moose can kill a bear or a wolf. And remember like all ungulates (hoofed animals) the darker the color, the better chance it will be aggressive.
Did you know Moose are able to swim at a sustained speed of over 9km per hour and can hold their breath underwater for a full minute. They can also dive up to 6 meters underwater. Moose can also reach speeds while running of up to 56 km over short distances but can maintain a steady trot of around 30 km per hour.
Most Active Time – Moose are active during the day but like most animals, Moose are most active during dawn and dusk.
Mating Season and Young – Mating usually take place in late September to early October. During this time Bulls can be seen sparring with other males and digging rutting pits.
Diet – In the summer months moose typically eat around 60 lbs. of willows, shrubs, aquatic plants (lilies and pondweeds) and leaves a day. In the winter this diet turns to twigs and shrubs as a bull moose will need to eat approximately 40lbs give or take each day if optimal conditions allow for it. As they use more energy than they usually take in many can starve. Moose have been known to use train tracks and other easy paths in winter to conserve energy.
Infections and Illnesses – CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease a disease which affects deer, elk, reindeer, and moose. Ticks are another problem for moose as they land on them and irritate their skin. A moose will rub itself against a tree to try and rub off the ticks, but this usually presents another problem for moose as they often scrape off their own fur causing open wounds which more times than not lead to infection.
Migratory or Hibernation Patterns – Elk will migrate as far as 100km from high elevation summer ranges to winter ranges and feed grounds at lower elevation where there is no snow.
