The moose (Alces alces) is the world's largest member of the deer family. The Alaska race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest of all the moose. 
Newborn calves weigh 28 to 35 pounds and within five months grow to over 300 pounds. Males in prime condition weigh from 1,200 to 1,600 pounds. Adult females weigh 800 to 1,300 pounds. Only the bulls have antlers and they are shed in the winter.
I suppose by the "small" size of this guy he/she was last years calf.
He wasn't bothered by me and my camera, but another truck came along and spooked him.
Until next time my apple tree eating friend! (Or possibly the cousin to the bugger who ate my apple trees!)
Moose have a high reproductive potential and can quickly fill a range to capacity if not limited by predation, hunting, and severe weather. Deep crusted snow can lead to malnutrition and subsequent death of hundreds of moose and decrease the survival of the succeeding year's calves. Moose are killed by wolves and black and brown bears. Black bears take moose calves in May and June. Brown bears kill calves and adults the entire time the bears are out of their winter dens. Wolves kill moose throughout the year. Today, Alaskans and nonresidents annually harvest approximately 6,000 to 8,000 moose—some 3.5 million pounds of meat. You haven't lived until you've had a moose burger or sausage. When I was a child that was the only meat in our home.So sorry for the shaky video. I was risking life and limb (lol :) sitting in the middle of an icy road with my truck turned off so I was nervously glancing around for traffic.
For more Camera Critters go here!
14 comments:
the amount of deer around my house is scary enough never mind having a moose on the loose.
They're such huge, ungainly creatures, but always a pleasure to see one.
Great photos! And thanks for telling us a little about the species, too.
I remember when Carson cried once when he was little because we told him the hamburger he was eating was made out if cow! He freaked out and said no it is not it is MOOSE!!
Very interesting! I didn't realize there were moose that big.
Wow! What a fun find. And, I love all of the info too. THANKS!
Amy ~ The SaltyMomma
Amazing footage, and pics of this majestic animal! I have only seen one once out in the wild like this. Thank you for sharing these :)
Great shots, and some great information to go with it!
Wow! I didn't realize that they get so big!
What great pictures! I was talking to my aunt who was driving to work from Wasilla to Anchorage and while we were on the phone someone hit a moose with their car. She told me that she sees this quite a bit and that they actually give the meat away to the needy. What a great idea and certainly it's better than wasting it. I can't even imagine hitting a moose. I bet that car was not a pretty site after that.
I've never seen a moose in real life. What cool photos and video! Thanks for sharing. They are magnificent!
Wow, nice photos...it must have been so awesome to see this moose!
After looking at all those pictures and all of that snow, in March!, I have decided that I will not complain about our little dusting today. At least, not outside of my own head!
Yup, I like a moose roast anyday...have not had a burger yet though. We eat alot of Elk where we are and it's what my husband chooses to hunt for. But an Alaskan moose is probably much bigger than what you see here on the prairies.
Good shots.
I love your moose photos! He sure didn't seem to be bother by you at all. :) I wish there were more of them near me. :)
Post a Comment