 Photo Credit: Douglas Herr Moose and Calf [Alces alces] A moose can weigh up to 1,800 pounds, grow as large as six feet tall and eight feet long. A flap of skin, called a bell hangs from the moose's throat. The male antlers are about six feet wide and at the end of the body is a three-inch tail! Moose are well adapted to their environment. Their long, spindly legs carry them through deep snow. They can close his nostrils when browsing for underwater vegetation. Moose feed on leaves and other plants, including aquatic vegetation. They eat as much as 50 pounds of vegetation per day. They eat aspen, birch, and sugar maple leaves, among others. In the winter when there are no leaves on trees, they eat twigs from trees and shrubs. Moose also need copper and sodium in their diet. During the late spring and summer, they is attracted to salt licks and mineral springs. Moose courtship begins in autumn. The male, or bull, seeks out the female, or cow. Mating then takes place. One or two calves are born in May or early June. Five days after birth the calves follow their mother. They drink their mother's milk until September. Then they feed on plants. The calves go out on their own when they are a year old. In the summer a moose's favorite habitat is a young forest located next to a lake. The wolf is a common predator. Moose are hunted in areas where they are plentiful. Common Name(s):
Moose Fur: Brown |
|
