The average adult will consumer 23,000 kilocalories per day
This bull moose stood proudly along the side of the trail while I was hiking in Brainard Lake Recreation Area. As noted in Matt’s blog post about moose, I was nearby a lake in moose country, so I was quite likely to see one. This bull had massive antlers, and it was not showing any signs of being afraid of my presence. Remembering how my hiking group took a two-mile detour around a moose for fear of a stampede, I made sure to keep my distance as I photographed this giant, beautiful animal.
The scientific name for a moose is Alces alces. Its common name in Eurasia is elk, but in the United States, we use the common name elk to describe the species Cervus canadensis. Cervus canadensis is also known as wapiti. The moose is the second largest land animal in North America, falling only short of the American bison in size. In order to sustain their massive size, the average adult will consumer 23,000 kilocalories per day. That’s almost 12 times the amount of food that an adult human needs to eat in a day! They primarily eat woody vegetation. Although they lack upper front teeth, they have eight incisors in their lower jaw to help consume all this food.
The antlers of a bull moose grow based on diet and size. It is believed that females choose mates based on antler size and symmetry. They use their antlers for sparring with rivals, discouraging competition from other males, and displaying dominance. The typical size of the antlers is about 79 inches. The widest antlers ever recorded were 83 inches across. The heaviest antlers weighed 79 pounds! If you compare the antlers of a Eurasian moose to those of a North American moose, you’ll find that the North American moose antlers are larger.
Moose live for between 15 and 25 years. During this time, a bull moose will have multiple mates. A female moose will begin having calves at two to three years of age after an eight-month pregnancy. Males will reach peak antler size at about 13 years of age. Calves will leave their mothers at about 18 months old, from which point, they will live a primarily solitary life.
The heaviest antlers weighed 79 pounds
Did you know?
- Moose with antlers can hear better! The palmate antler serves to channel and amplify the sound into their ears.
- They also have a keen sense of smell, which they use to find water, food, mates, and predators.
- Moose have a fold of skin under their chin that is called the dewlap or bell. It has no known function, but some theorize that it is used for thermoregulation (cooling). It may also be used for choosing mates.
0 Comments