Moose Report

The moose or the Alces alces are very unique and are visible even here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The organism ranges in height from 6.5 to 7.5 feet. The male or bull weighs from 850-1400 pounds and the female or cow weighs around 600-800 pounds. Unique features about the moose are that they have enormous antlers that can spread up to 6.5 feet and weigh almost seventy seven pounds. The moose is dark brown and sometimes black and has long legs and high humped shoulders. On their heads they have long noses and the bulls have flattened large antlers. Hanging from their neck they have a bell of hair and skin called the dewlap. The bulls fight with other males to win over the mate of their choice by ramming antlers. When chosen they mate and will move on in a one to two day period. After eight months, one or even two calves are born and are already capable of walking.
The ecosystem in which the moose lives in the summer is near streams and lakes. In the winter they move deeper in the forest. They also enjoy being around willow thickets due to their diet in the winter containing buds, twigs, bark and leafy vegetation. In the summer they feed on aquatic vegetation because they are excellent swimmers. Some main predators to the moose are wolves’, bears, and the worst, humans.
The moose will travel alone, but during the winter they might bond with other moose just for the comfort and warmth. The reason they keep dying is because of diseases, parasites, nutrition, and predadation. Moose are beginning to grow larger in population, and hopefully it will stay that way.