![]() Forest disturbed by fire and logging promotes the growth of fodder for moose. Moose require access to both young forest for browsing and mature forest for shelter and cover. Also, moose cows may not calve without adequate summer weight gain. When heat-stressed, moose may fail to adequately forage in summer and may not gain adequate body fat to survive the winter. ![]() In hot weather, moose are often found wading or swimming in lakes or ponds. Moose survive hot weather by accessing shade or cooling wind, or by immersion in cool water. Moose are cold-adapted mammals with thickened skin, dense, heat-retaining coat, and a low surface:volume ratio, which provides excellent cold tolerance but poor heat tolerance. Moose travel among different habitats with the seasons to address these requirements. Moose require habitat with adequate edible plants (e.g., pond grasses, young trees and shrubs), cover from predators, and protection from extremely hot or cold weather. Their mating season in the autumn features energetic fights between males competing for a female. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive and move quickly if angered or startled. Unlike most other deer species, moose do not form herds and are solitary animals, aside from calves who remain with their mother until the cow begins estrus (typically at 18 months after birth of the calf), at which point the cow chases away young bulls. The most common moose predators are the gray wolf along with bears and humans. Their diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, New England (with Maine having the most of the lower 48 states), Fennoscandia, Baltic states, and Russia. ![]() Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Hunting and other human activities have caused a reduction in the size of the moose's range over time. ![]() Moose typically inhabit boreal forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Moose are distinguished by the broad, palmate (open-hand shaped) antlers of the males other members of the deer family have antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. The moose (North America) or elk (Eurasia), Alces alces is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the largest and heaviest extant species in the Deer family. ![]()
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