10 things you didn't know about moose
Moose graze underwater, roll in their own pee, and can be milked.
Published
1. Norway's oldest animal?
Around 10,000 years ago, the Ice Age in Norway came to an end. When the ice melted, the moose was one of the first mammals to arrive in the country, likely from Denmark or Sweden.
The oldest evidence of moose in Norway is indeed that old. A huge antler was found in a bog in Innlandet County.
Humans arrived at the same time as the moose and hunted them. Archaeologists have found evidence of trapping pits – deep holes in the ground designed for moose to fall into.
2. Moose have many enemies. Some are very small
Moose have many enemies. They can be divided into three categories.
Predators like wolves and bears kill and eat moose. Sometimes lynxes and wolverines do too.
But there are not many large predators left in Norway.
Today, humans are the moose's biggest threat. Last year, hunters shot 26,000 moose. Additionally, 1,600 moose were hit and killed by cars and trains.
Predators and humans hunt different kinds of moose. Wolves and other predators often take the small and weak moose, while humans tend to shoot the largest and strongest. This can influence the future evolution of moose.
Moose also have tiny enemies.
Some latch onto their skin and suck blood, such as deer flies and ticks. When a moose has too many such bloodsuckers, it becomes stressed and can lose its fur.
Other small creatures live inside the moose's body, such as brainworms. These are thinner than a strand of hair but can still kill a large 600-kilogram moose. They burrow into the body, crawl through blood vessels, and can eventually reach the brain.
3. Hiding from hunters
Moose cows that have lost their calves during hunting season have learned to hide the following year, according to Swedish researchers, Bull moose also flee when they hear cars and hunting dogs.
Some escape to the mountains during the hunting season, while others retreat deeper into the forest and remain still. During the day, they avoid roads.
Some moose are particularly clever. They move into areas with houses and cabins because they have learned that hunters will not shoot them there.
When the danger has passed, the moose return to the areas they usually live.
4. Moose are getting smaller
The moose is Norway's largest forest animal, perfectly adapted for cold winters with lots of snow.
However, moose are starting to get smaller, partly due to a warming climate.
Moose do not thrive in warm weather. When it's hot, they prefer to rest, but they can't do that if they need to eat enough food.
Moose have to eat almost all day long. An adult moose eats 50 kilograms of food every day. It eats everything in the forest: leaves, bark, twigs, buds, and blueberry shrubs.
5. They graze underwater
Moose are excellent swimmers. They also dive. Underwater, they eat plants, especially water lilies, which they like very much.
Moose are even faster on land, capable of running 60 kilometres per hour.
Moose have excellent hearing and can smell things from a great distance. But their eyesight is not very good – they actually see quite poorly.
6. Grow antlers to impress
Only bull moose grow antlers. The large antlers look impressive but might be impractical in dense forests.
The primary purpose of antlers is to impress moose cows. The bigger the antlers, the more attractive the bull moose is.
A moose’s antlers can span up to two metres and weigh 30 kilos.
Every winter, the bull moose sheds its antlers. But in the spring, new ones grow back – slightly larger than those from the previous year. The antlers consequently tell us how old the moose is. The more points there are on the antlers, the older the animal.
7. Moose like to be alone, except for a short time in autumn
Many deer enjoy being with others. Reindeer and red deer live in herds, and roe deer stick together in families. But moose like to be alone.
For a few days in autumn, this changes. Bull moose get ready to find a female moose to mate with. They eat to grow large and fat during the summer, then shed the velvet from their antlers.
Bull moose dig holes on the ground, pee in them, and roll in the urine to attract moose cows.
Sometimes, bull moose fight over who gets to mate with the females. Usually, the biggest and strongest male wins. Becoming a moose father is not easy – researchers have found that only one in three bull moose father calves. The record-holder was a bull that fathered 44 calves.
The moose cow is ready to mate for just two days, while the bulls have been ready for a while. After mating, the bull moves on to search for more cows to mate with.
The moose cow has one or two calves, which stay with her for their first year. When they turn one, their mother chases them away, forcing them to fend for themselves. She does this because she has a new calf to care for.
8. North American moose are more aggressive than European moose
Moose in Canada and the USA are almost the same species as the Norwegian moose. But there are some differences.
The American moose is both larger and heavier.
It can also be more dangerous to humans. Researchers believe this is because there are more large predators in North America, such as bears and wolves. Moose have learned to defend themselves by kicking hard with their legs.
Researchers in Norway can walk through the forest on foot to count moose. But in the USA and Canada, they have to use helicopters. Moose mothers there will not allow anyone to come near their calves.
It is very rare for moose to attack humans, but people in Norway still need to be cautious. If you surprise a moose and it does not move but instead lays its ears back and lowers its head, you should back away. This can happen when the moose has no escape route or has found food it does not want to leave.
Moose can also become stressed when they have calves or accidently wander into areas with houses and people.
9. Some moose are white
Occasionally, white moose will appear. They are slightly more common in Sweden than in Norway, but rare in both countries.
The white colour is caused by a condition called leucism, which results in fur lacking pigment.
All polar bears have leucism. Other animals, like hares and least weasels, grow white winter fur. Researchers do not know why some moose have this condition, but they know it is hereditary.
10. Moose can be tamed, but it's not easy
In Russia, moose have been kept as livestock for meat and milk.
The calmest moose were also used to carry heavy loads or pull carts.
However, keeping moose in captivity is difficult because they often get sick.
In the 1930s, Russian leaders came up with the idea of using moose as mounts for soldiers. But it went very poorly, and the idea was quickly abandoned.
The farm where they tried this, the Kostroma Moose Farm, is still around.
The farm has 40 moose cows that are allowed to roam freely. Every summer, when they are about to have calves, the moose cows return to the farm of their own accord. The calves are tamed, and the mothers are milked.
Today, the moose farm is engaged in tourism and research on moose, as well as sales of moose milk.
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Translated by Nancy Bazilchuk
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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