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Moose, elk - ALCES ALCES
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Moose": "Moose" comes from the American Indian Natich word "moos," for the animal. "Elk" comes from an Old Norse word "elgr," for the animal.
Location: northern Europe, North America, and Asia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Boreal forest including taiga, bogs, and marshlands.
Description:The coat is grayish-brown or dark gray, but paler on the legs. The head is large and elongated with a flattened mouth. The male has impressive palmate antlers (the largest in the deer family), with points of varying lengths. The hooves are large and can be spread apart. The back is lower at the rump, and the neck is powerful and has a dewlap of skin in males, which hangs down. Length of head and body about 10 feet, tail about 7 inches, with a shoulder height of about 6 feet. It can weigh over 1300 pounds, with females usually slightly smaller than males.
Behavior: The moose feeds mainly on aquatic plants and young shoots. It spends much of its time feeding with its feet immersed in water or mud. It is active mainly in the morning and evening. Males are usually solitary, while females are accompanied by that year's calf. Mating occurs in the autumn, the males emitting loud calls, and engaging in violent battles over the females.
Reproduction: A single calf (whose coat is reddish-brown) is born in April through June after a 250-day gestation. It nurses for several months, but stays with its mother for a year or two.
Note: Their main predators are bears, wolves, and man.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
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