About the Moose

No other animal better epitomizes northern wilderness than the majestic bull moose. He is the culmination of countless generations of evolution. His size, strength, and solitary life are the subject of legends. Man, bears, and wolves are the only predators that dare challenge him.

Life span: 15-25 years

Body length: 2.5-2.7 meters

Moose are large even-toed herbivorous mammals, the largest of the deer family, Cervidae.

Moose vary in size and shape. Their color varies from a little brown to a dusty black depending on the season and age of the animal. Young calves are often a light rusty color. The moose has a long nose, drooping lip, hump at the shoulders and small tail. The flap of skin that hangs beneath the throat is called a BELL.

Males weigh on average over 550kg (1200 lbs) and females often more than 400kg. New born calves weigh around 15kg but quickly increase in size. An Alaskan moose, one of the largest sub-group, discovered in 1897 holds the record for being the largest known modern deer. It was a bull standing 2.34 meters and weighed 816kg. Its RACK (or antler spread) was 199cm.

The other end of the size scale is the smaller Shiras moose, also known as the 'Wyoming' or 'Yellowstone' moose.

Height at the shoulders generally ranges between 6 ½-7 ½ feet (over 2 meters). Only the males have antlers, massive flattened ones averaging 160cm across and 20kg in weight. These antlers have as many as 30 TINES (or spikes), the shape differing from animal to animal.

Mature males shed their antlers once a year in November/December and replace them with new larger ones. They are formed of living tissue supplied by blood through a network of vessels covered with a soft smooth skin called VELVET. Eventually the tissue solidifies, the velvet is scraped off and the antlers become completely formed of mineralized dead matter. Their main function is for display during the mating season and dominance within the herd.

Moose are active throughout the day with activity peaks during dawn and dusk. Their sight is poor but their hearing and sense of smell are excellent. They are good swimmers, able to sustain a speed of 6 miles an hour, and can run up to 55 km/h.

Moose are found in sparsely wooded areas of mixed or deciduous trees, near lakes or rivers.

Moose can be found in Alaska, Canada and northern parts of America. They also appear in northern parts of Europe (Scandinavia) and Asia (Siberia, Mongolia). In the Middle Ages, moose also lived in the vast forests of central and western Europe, where they later became extinct.

Females, starting from around 2 years of age, give birth in May/June to 1-2 young after a mating period (rut) between late September and early November. Gestation lasts for approximately eight months.

Cows commonly give birth to twins and occasionally triplets. Offspring can browse and follow their mother at 3 weeks of age and are completely weaned at five months. They stay with their mother for at least a year after birth, until the next young are born.

The correct name for female moose is a COW, the male is called a BULL and the young moose is called a CALF.

Mothers are extremely aggressive and very protective of their calves, most probably due to the scarcity of food in the Winter, their greatest threat to survival.

Moose tend to be solitary animals but gathering in high densities for the breeding season. Only 25% of groups have more than two adults. Each group, were possible, would occupy an area of 300-600 hectares.

Moose obtain most of their food from aquatic and marsh plants such as horsetails and pondweed. Moose also eat grass, lichen, plants growing on the forest floor, peeled-off bark and leaves stripped with their bottom lip from willows, sallows and poplars.

Moose, like other deer, are ruminants. Their digestive systems contain micro-organisms that break down vegetation.

Some populations migrate between sites favorable at different times of the year. These migrations can exceed 300km by European populations.

Moose can be identified from other deer by their unique foot prints mainly due to the sheer size of the hooves. Cows and young bulls leave pointier tracks and like other deer, the sharper end of the heart points in the direction of travel. Moose strides are usually around 30" to 40" long.