Moose

Alces alces, called the moose in North America and the elk in Europe (see also elk for other animals called elk) is the largest member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from other members of Cervidae by the form of the palmate antlers of its males. The word "moose" is from mus or mooz in several of the Algonquian languages, spoken by certain indigenous peoples of the Americas. The name means "twig eater.".

Moose are typical of boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. In North America, that includes almost all of Canada, Alaska, much of New England, and the upper Rockies. In Europe, most of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia have widespread moose populations. In Asia, moose are confined mainly to Russia. Moose were generally more broadly distributed in the past. Many of the European countries to which elk were once native now have extirpated or relic moose populations.

The male moose's antlers arise as cylindrical beams projecting on each side at right angles to the middle line of the skull, which after a short distance divide in a fork-like manner. The lower prong of this fork may be either simple, or divided into two or three tines, with some flattening. The male moose will drop its antlers after mating season in order to conserve energy for the winter season. It will then regrow them in the spring. The antlers take about three months to grow, making them one of the fastest growing organs in the world. The antlers initially have a layer of skin, which will shed off once fully grown.

The great length of the legs gives a decidedly ungainly appearance to the moose. The muzzle is long and fleshy, with only a very small triangular naked patch below the nostrils; and the males have a peculiar sac, known as the bell, hanging from the neck. From the shortness of their necks, moose are unable to graze, and their chief food consists of young shoots and leaves of willow and birch, tree bark and mast (the fallen nuts of forest trees) in winter, and waterplants (such as Arnicus brucitus). These ruminants are often found feeding in wetlands and swamps. Their teeth resemble those of other ruminants such as deer, cows, sheep and goats. On each side of the lower jaw they have three molars, three premolars and four front teeth, one of which is a transformed canine. In the upper jaw there are no front teeth, only a plate of horn against which the food is chewed. The usual stride of a moose is a shambling trot but, when pressed, they can break into a gallop and reach speeds of up to 55 km/h.

Male moose (bulls) can weigh over 550 kg, and females (cows) are sometimes more than 400 kg. Calves weigh around 15 kg at birth but quickly increase in size. Height at the shoulders can surpass 2 m. Only the males have antlers, often 160 cm across and 20 kg in weight with a broad, flattened palmate shape fringed in up to 30 tines. An Alaskan moose discovered in 1897 holds the record for being the largest known modern deer; it was a male standing 2.34 m at the shoulders and weighing 816 kg. Its antler spread was 199 cm.

Although moose are generally timid, the males become very bold during the autumn breeding season; it is not uncommon for them to charge at moving trains. The females utter a loud call, similar to the lowing of cattle, which can be heard from up to 3.2 km away. During breeding (the rut), males will compete for females by fighting with their antlers and hoofs and by fierce clashing of antlers. As well as bellowing, the female moose emits a strong, odoriferous pheromone in order to attract a mate. She also secretes pheromones in her urine which lets the males know that she is in estrus. Females may begin to breed at 2, but more usually 3, years of age.

The female gives birth to one or (occasionally) two calves at a time, in spring. The gestation period for a moose is about 216-240 days. Moose calves grow very quickly, nourished by their mother's milk, which is very high in fat and other nutrients.

During the winter, moose may form loose aggregations in fairly dense conifer forests, which they keep open by trampling the snow. In the spring, moose can often be seen in drainage ditches at the side of roads, taking advantage of road salt which has run off the road. These minerals replace electrolytes missing from their winter diet.

European rock art and cave paintings reveal that the elk has been hunted since the stone age. In Northern Scandinavia one can still find remains of trapping pits used for hunting elk. These pits, which can measure up to 4 x 7 m in plan and be up to 2 m deep, would have been camouflaged with branches and leaves. They would have had steep sides lined with planks, making it impossible for the elk to escape once it had fallen in. The pits are normally found in large groups, crossing the elk's regular paths and stretching over several kilometres. Remains of wooden fences designed to guide the animals toward the pits have been found in bogs and peats. In Norway, an early example of these trapping devices has been dated to around 3700 BC. Trapping elk in pits is an extremely effective hunting method, and as early as the 16th century the Norwegian government tried to restrict their use. Nevertheless, the method was in use until the 19th century.