![]() Large wolf packs may occasionally succeed in bringing down a moose, and brown bears are undoubtedly the most lethal against calves and infirmed adults, but the only animal that regularly hunts and kills healthy adult moose is the Siberian tiger as it prowls the Russian tundra. Adult moose are not faster than wolves, but evade hungry packs by running over the roughest, thorniest and thickest terrain, often leaving the significantly shorter wolves caught in the briars and willow thickets. Moose have cloven hooves and long, seemingly inadequate legs on which they can travel up to 35 miles an hour, even over uneven land and thick brush. They come together to mate in the fall, but otherwise, the only moose you will see together are mothers with their young. The moose is also an unusual deer in that it lives a solitary life. ![]() The word moose is from an Algonquian Indian word mo-swa, which means "twig-eater." ![]() Living in the coldest climates in the Northern hemisphere, most moose face a five month long winter season, during which they must somehow maintain their enormous bodies.Īfter the first few snowfalls, moose will dig down through snow and ice to get to vegetation, but once snow levels reach 4 feet or more, they must survive on bark, buds and twigs. In summer months, moose spend hours eating aquatic plants and storing the minerals they need for the hard winter they must endure. Of course, much of the pond weed, lilies, and tubers they crave can be reached by just wading in, that's why a group of moose is called a "wade", and at those times, the moose may keep it's head completely underwater, often for more than a minute at a time. The seal of the nostrils actually tightens with more water pressure, so moose can dive, chew, and swallow underwater! The heavy muzzle acts like a water valve, and closes the nostrils automatically. That's right, the moose feeds on plants that grow on the bottom of lakes, and they will actually dive to reach them. Amazingly, this specialized schnoz is designed for underwater expeditions. The rhinarium, or moist nose tissue, is relegated to a small patch between the nostrils, and there is a thick pad of fibrofatty tissue over the nostrils. The muzzle is bulbous, with a semi-prehensile upper lip and long, wide-set nostrils that hang over the sides of the mouth. Most deer have delicate, wedge-shaped heads, tapering to shiny noses, each nostril encircled by moist, rhinarium tissue, just like the wet nose of a dog.īut the head of a moose is massive and elongated with large, conical ears and relatively small eyes. Moose have a large hump on their backs, formed by the muscles required to support their heads and antlers, and they have tiny tails, like little flaps, but it is the muzzle of the moose that is completely unique among deer species. Mature males grow enormous, distinctive, palm-shaped antlers that can be over 6 feet across and weigh up to 50 pounds. The largest of these is the Alaskan moose, with males reaching up to 7 feet tall at the shoulder, and weighing 1600 pounds.
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