Featured Animal: Moose

Moose (also known as elk) are found in the cold plains of North America and Europe where they were named by locals as twig-eaters.

The male moose have enormous antlers that the moose actually renews once a year. After the warmer mating season the male moose will shed its antlers to conserve energy for the winter. In the springtime the moose begins to develop its new antlers which take from 3 to 5 months to fully grow.

The moose have been hunted by humans for both trophies but also for meat. The moose are also prey to a number of large carnivorous mammals which they encounter such as bears, cougars and arctic wolves.
There are thought to be six different subspecies of moose found in the sub-arctic forests today. These are the European moose (found in Finland, Sweden and Norway), the Eastern moose (found in the east of Canada and northeast of the United States), the Western moose (found in the west of Canada), the Siberian moose (found in the east of Siberia and Mongolia), the Alaska moose (found in Alaska and Yukon) and the Shiras moose (found in Wyoming and Utah).

Female moose do not have antlers and tend to give birth to the baby moose after an 8 month gestation period. The female tends to have a single moose calf but twins and triplets have been known. The fur of the baby moose is a reddish color that turns to brown as the moose get older. The young moose calves tend to stay with the mother moose until just before the next young are born.

Although moose are not usually aggressive animals, particularly towards humans, when provoked, moose have been known to attack humans. Although the consequences of a moose attack are generally minor, moose have been known to attack more humans than bears and wolves put together.

Moose live in herds and live until they are about 16 years old. Moose are herbivorous animals and spend their time foraging for vegetation and branches to munch on.