The Albino Moose

In about second grade, there was a song sweeping the county called “Moose” by the Banana Slug String Band. I know several of us know the song quite well and I remember it being the number one on my preschool pop list. I’m sure that the reason that all of us came to love this was because the moose is an amazing mammal.
Moose, Alces alces, are found throughout the United States and North America, including Wyoming. They prefer cool areas rich in water, because the water supplies a large quantity of their food supply. Even though you are most likely to find a moose in willow thickets, it’s also possible to find them in an environment with densely wooded forests filled with spruce, aspen, and small grasses. Moose get much of their nutrients out of the grasses by eating the entire plant, including the roots. This would be their niche because moose devours plants that may over populate the area, creating new niches for other plants and, in turn, other animals. They are very efficient at this job because in order to survive, they need to eat about sixty pounds of food a day! In addition to creating more space for organisms, when moose swim in ponds, their long legs stir up nutrients on the pond floor, like upwelling currents in the ocean, making the water nutrient rich for other biotic, or living, organisms. The Alces alces is a very important large animal in the North West.
Moose are the largest member of the deer family. Males can weigh up to 1,400 pounds, or about as much as eight grown men. Females can weigh about 900 pounds on average, but that number is susceptible to a large amount of change. Moose are extremely easy to identify due to their humped shoulders, large noses, and antlers. These magnificent antlers can weigh up to 75 pounds, or about as heavy as my sixth grade sister. Much of the energy the large mammal obtains goes into growing the antlers. Every year, these antlers are shed by the moose between December and January. In the early spring they begin to grow again. These antlers are useful for “sparring” with other males; however, they are hardly ever used in an actual fight, as they are often very peaceful creatures. As a defense mechanism, moose can run up to 35 mph, and lash out several feet with their spindly legs.