Facts About Moose
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Facts About Moose
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The moose is Norway's largest mammal, and is often called the "king of the forest".
The moose is a ruminant, which means that with its four stomachs (rumen, leaf stomach, retina and runner) it has the ability to break down hard-to-digest fibers (cellulose) found in most plant plants. The moose rarely graze on the ground. The long legs and the short neck mean that it has to go down on its knees to reach down to the food. It therefore grazes most often on herbs, leaves, leaves and twigs in the so-called shrub layer, from 30 cm above the ground and as far up as it reaches. After grazing for a while, it will calm down, gulp the food up again in small portions to chew the food once more. In the summer, with a large supply of food, it is important for the elk to accumulate as large fat reserves as possible for the coming heat period in the autumn, and then for the winter. In summer, the elk will therefore eat, chew and rest almost continuously throughout the day, but with the greatest activity morning and evening. In winter, when the supply of food will be severely limited, the moose's metabolism is "screwed" to an absolute minimum level. Food search and transfer take place as little as possible, so as not to use unnecessary energy.
The moose's natural habitat is in the coniferous forest belt of the entire northern hemisphere; in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the Russian taiga, Canada and Alaska, where it is specially adapted to live in extreme conditions caused by severe, snowy winters. The moose is called "moose" in English. There are several native subspecies of elk, with slightly different characteristics, where, among other things, the North American species stands out as the largest by far. The Nordic moose is still the largest mainland mammal in Northern Europe, and with its impressive size and magnificent antlers, it is not without reason that the moose bears the designation King of the Forest. The moose's natural habitat in this country has been the large coniferous forests in eastern and central Norway. In recent decades, however, the elk population has grown significantly, and with it its distribution. Today, moose can be found in most parts of the country, from the south to the far north.
The moose is the largest of our deer species, and both its size and body shape make it difficult to confuse it with other deer. The body is large and heavy, with long legs, high shoulder region, short neck and large ears.
Measurements of the height of moose from Nord-Trøndelag showed that adult moose cows varied from 137 - 195 cm measured as shoulder height (average 176 cm). Corresponding measurements for the bulls showed that they varied from 150 - 199 cm (average 177 cm). The small difference in average height between bulls and cows was probably due to the fact that the bulls had a lower average age than the cows. At the same age, the height difference is probably somewhat larger, since other studies show that adult elk bulls weigh on average 24 per cent more than cows. In moose, only the male - the bull - develops antlers.
Moose calves weigh about 11 - 15 kg at birth. During the summer they grow quickly and already the same autumn they will weigh 100-160 kg, but in areas with very good growing conditions they can reach a weight of over 200 kg. For elk cows, body weight continues to increase until 4-7 years of age, while elk bulls can grow until they are 5-9 years old. Adult elk bulls in different parts of Norway weigh an average of 400-550 kg in the autumn, and adult elk cows 320-400 kg. In denser populations, the weights can also be significantly lower than this. The weights we have discussed here are live weight. The slaughter weight of moose during hunting varies from less than 45% to just over 60% of the total weight, and is on average 50-55%.
The coat color can vary from almost black to all shades of brown or gray to completely light gray-brown. The light conditions are of great importance for how an observer perceives the animal's color. Regardless of color, the camouflage is perfect, and even such a large animal can be almost impossible to spot inside between the trees. This is not least very important to be aware of when driving a car!
Newborn calves are more shaggy, and have a light brick red color. This "baby fur" is changed to shiny, smooth adult fur in August-September. All moose have a relatively long, thick winter coat that changes to shorter, thinner summer fur in April-June. They can then look rather shabby, with large hairless areas. In all moose, the legs and abdomen have a light gray color. In cows, the light color continues up between the thighs all the way up to the tail, and it appears as a light wedge on the back of the "mirror". On bulls, however, there is an abrupt transition from the light legs, to the darker body color. It almost looks like it's wearing dark shorts. Apart from the antlers, this is the most important bodily difference when trying to distinguish between the sexes.
Our deer have antlers, not horns like our domestic animals. Antlers trap and new grow out every year, while horns are stuck throughout the animal's life. In reindeer, both males and females have antlers, but in moose only the oxen develop antlers. Already in first-year beef calves you can see small lumps between the eyes and ears, which is the start of an antler. This is called the rosary, or when the antlers begin to develop, the rosary.
The following year, the bull is called a "yearling" and usually has a pointed tag on each side almost like a bicycle handlebar. We then call it porcupine. As a two-year-old, the bull can have 1-3 tags on each side, depending on, among other things, the food supply. The antlers are largest when the bull is 5-8 years old, and can weigh up to 30 kg, with 20-25 tags or more. The number of tags an antler can have is therefore not identical to the number of years the bull has lived! The moose's antlers can either be a so-called "shovel antlers", where the rear part is shaped like a flat bowl with short spines, or a "rod antlers" which is more characterized by a number of large single tags. In addition, there are several intermediate forms.
The antlers usually fall off in the period December-February. Immediately, the rose bush is covered with skin, and a new antler begins to grow. At first relatively slowly, but over the spring and summer the growth increases, and it can be almost 2 cm a day at most. Throughout the growth period, the antlers are covered by a thin, bloody skin with short dense hairs, called the bast skin. In August-September, the antlers are fully grown and then the bark is "swept off" and the hard bone structures appear. It is both impressive and dramatic to experience when the bulls sweep the antlers. The bull drives the antlers with great force into bushes and bushes and up tree trunks. The bast cracks open and hangs in bloody "lasers" on the antlers until everything is swept away. The process can take only 4-5 hours, and it can look very violent!
The antler is the bull's status symbol, and the size of the antler is of great importance for how many cows it is allowed to cover during the rut. The cows usually prefer the largest bulls, with the most impressive antlers. In addition, other and smaller bulls will give way to a big bull with a large antler. However, it may happen that there will be fights between bulls, for the cows' "favor". There are great forces that crash together in such battles, and an impressive sight - but fortunately the fighting cocks rarely hurt each other.
The moose has large nostrils and eyes that sit on the side of the head, and it can thus perceive the smell and sight impressions both from the front, from the side and from behind. The most important sense is the sense of smell, which is very well developed. The ears, which are large and can be moved separately in "all" directions, function almost like sounding antennas, and make it hear very well. There is some discussion about how sharp a moose's vision is, but there are many indications that the moose looks very good. However, it poorly perceives objects that stand still and that differ little from the surroundings. It is therefore not uncommon for a moose to stand and look at you for a long time, if you stand completely still. However, if it gets the better of you, it will run away immediately.