Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files were talking about moose… mooses… meese…? Thank you to twobitcolorpenil for today's request. Now, I realize that many people refer to moose as elk, but just to keep things clear we’re going to use the word moose throughout this episode because “elk” can also mean these guys.

Moose are the largest living deer in the world, and they have the biggest antlers to boot. These antlers typically come in a palmate shape, just like the fallow deer we’ve previously discussed, but only the boys grow them. During the winter, the antlers are shed and left behind for other forest creatures such as squirrels and mice to consume (hence the lack of racks laying around the forest floor). As the weather warms up, new antlers are grown. At first they’re covered in skin, but in late August, this is shed to reveal the bone beneath. At this point, a male moose is set for the rut.

The rut is basically the breeding season for deer. For moose, it occurs once in September and then again in October for females that didn’t become pregnant the first time. The timing for this allows a female moose to give birth as new vegetation begins to grow. It’s not uncommon for moose to have twins which is good because baby moose are susceptible to predation. Mother moose will defend their calves fiercely, but even so the young are often taken by bears and wolves.

Usually once moose reach a year of age, their life expectancy is much higher, though even adults can be taken by predators as well as parasites and disease. Even humans partake in the hunting of moose, and the residents of Sweden and Russia raise moose for milk. Can’t say I’ve ever had moose milk - have you? It’s thought wild moose may live to be between fifteen and twenty years old.

Moose enjoy numerous meals. The season will determine what they eat with bark and twigs being taken in winter and grass, leaves, and even water plants being taken in summer. Though they may look bulky and awkward, moose are excellent swimmers, and they spend a lot of their time in water when they are able to. When they aren’t swimming, they’re usually looking elsewhere for food or laying down to let their food digest.

Moose are crepuscular animals and thus tend to be most active in the evening and early morning. They live in forests in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. It’s thought that the moose’s inability to sweat and the heat produced by their digestive process, not to mention just their general size, are all factors that prevent moose from venturing further south. They can’t tolerate the heat!

While most other deer species enjoy the company of their conspecifics, moose tend to be solitary creatures. Apart from mother and calf groups or gatherings during breeding season, moose generally ignore each other. Their home ranges may be as large as 35 square miles (90 square kilometers), though some moose have been seen migrating throughout the year in likely in search of food. If they need to run, they can do so at top speeds of more than 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour) for short distances. It’s believed that moose have relatively poor vision, but their ears and sense of smell are thought to be excellent. I mean, it makes sense - just look at that snoot!

For more facts on moose, check out the links the description. Give this video a like if you enjoyed it, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.