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Alces alces
Moose are the largest living deer. Alaskan bulls may weigh up to 1600 pounds with cows being smaller. They typically are dark brown or black with lighter colored legs. European Elk (moose) typically are slightly smaller and darker. Bulls have large palmated antlers. The photo above is of the "shiras" subspecies, which is the smallest of the North American subspecies, but still a very large animal.
Moose live in a variety of habitat ranging from deciduous and boreal forests, river bottoms, and have been expanding their range into regions dominated by shrubby tundra. They live in a wide swath across the northern hemisphere.
I photographed this young bull in a light snow storm in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. There were several cows with him and they fed on willows for about two hours while I watched them. Notice the warts (pappilomas) a common virus-caused growth common among moose on the forehead of this animal.
Spotted on Jun 7, 2007
Submitted on Dec 13, 2011
11 Comments
Thanks Aldrin and Karen....
Great portrait Gordon!
beautiful! : )
Wow! Please consider adding to the "Rocky Mountain Wildlife Watch" Mission! http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8465...
Interesting about Moose,,
Moose are very interesting animals. They are intelligent and loyal apparently if raised around people. I believe it was the King of Sweden that tried to domesticate moose to replace mounted soldiers, but apparently they died in captivity and overheated when soldiers rode them in summer. Apparently, they were used successfully as mounts in some places and I know of a photo taken in northern Minnesota in the little town of Ely showing a brace of moose drawing a cart/sleigh down one of that town's lovely winter streets. Read more in an interesting post at http://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t....
Wow! Interesting animal!
Wonderful photo!
Would love to visit Sweden, or any Scandinavian country to hike, canoe, and wildlife watch. Someday, perhaps....grin.
Beautiful photo ! Takes me back to when I lived in Sweden for a year, there were many elk and deer in the forest nearby.
Good spotting Gordan!