Moose Facts

I am still studying for the new job.  Next up facts on the Moose.  It is the second most land animal studied at Katmai, so twenty facts for you to familiarize yourself.

1.  Moose are the largest members of the deer family.
2.  Moose prefer to browse tall grasses and shrubs as lowering their heads can be difficult.
3.  Moose are great swimmers and have been known to swim 12.5 miles and they can dive to 16.5 feet.
4.  They can trot along at 20 mph with bursts of speeds up to 35 mph.
5.  They have an average life span of 20 years.
6.  Average height from ground to shoulder is between 5 - 6.5 feet.
7.  Average weight of a moose is 1500 pounds. An Alaskan-Yukon moose can weigh close to 1700 pounds.
8.  They shed their antlers every year and the antlers can grow to a span of 6 feet and weigh as much as 44 pounds.
9.  The word moose comes from Algonquin Indians and means twig eater.
10. Moose are afraid of humans but are mostly seen at dawn and dusk.
11. Their favorite food is aquatic grasses and they can eat up to 66 pounds of food a day.
12. Moose have poor eyesight but acute hearing and sense of smell.
13.  Rutting season goes from early September to early November.  The males can be very aggressive during the rut.
14.  Calves are born weighing around 30 pounds.
15.  Calves grow quickly and can out run a man in five days.
16.  Moose move seasonally and can travel anywhere from 2 - 60 miles during a transition.
17.  Moose have high reproduction rates and without predators would reach population limits fast.
18.  Black bears will attack moose calves, brown bears will attack both adults and calves, at any time they are not in their den, and wolves feed on them all year round
19. Moose is the number one animal hunted in Alaska, with the annual harvest being around 6,000.
20. As their habitat changes with mans encroachment, you can find moose standing on runways, down city streets and they have caused car and train accidents.