Moose Profile

The moose or Eurasian elk, is only behind the bison as the second largest land animal in North America and Europe. Moose are a member of the deer family, and inhabit forests of the Northern Hemisphere. All moose are herbivores, and need to consume nearly 10,000 calories per day to maintain their body weight. As much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plant life. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose can eat up to 71 pounds of food per day.

There are 6 different subspecies of moose: Elk (Alces alces alces), Eastern Moose (Alces alces americana), Western Moose (Alces alces andersoni), Siberian Moose (Alces alces cameloides), Alaska Moose (Alces alces gigas), and Shiras Moose (Alces alces shirasi).

A male moose will lose its antlers after the mating season and conserve energy for the winter. A new set of antlers will regrow in the spring, taking 3 to 5 months to completely develop. This makes antlers one of the fastest growing animal organs. The antlers initially have a layer of skin, called velvet, but this is shed once the antlers are fully grown.

A large adult moose stands nearly 7 feet high at the shoulder, weighing in at up to 1600 pounds, with antlers spanning 6 feet. The largest moose species is Alces alces gigas, which matches the extinct Irish Elk as the largest deer of all time. The largest moose was 7.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and weighed 1800 pounds.

Moose attack more people than bears and wolves combined. However, the results of these attacks are usually minor. A full-grown moose has few enemies. These enemies include wolves, Siberian tigers, brown bears, black bears, and cougars. Killer whales are the only known marine predator of the moose.

About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net