Best places to see a moose are Mount Robson (absolute best
location), Moose Lake (no joke here), Maligne Lake area, the
Yellowhead highway towards Edmonton, Saskatchewan Crossing,
and the Icefields Parkway. Mineral Licks (salt licks) are very
attractive to Moose.
| Moose
could easily be the symbol of Canada if this honor had not
been taken by the studious beaver. 85 percent of North America's
moose population lives in Canada. (probably because they
prefer universal health care!). The island of Newfoundland
has become overun with moose, after having almost wiped
the moose entirely from the island. |
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Moose is a member of the deer
family. Are we kidding here? Well, actually, it is and of course
is the largest member of the deer family in the World. Weighing
in at more than a half ton and standing up to 7 feet tall at
the shoulders this is a very large mammal. Lengths can be 9
feet. Fur is thick and dark brown near the top of the animal
and it fades to a greyish color on the lower part, especially
the legs. They have long legs and a peculiar vertical step when
they walk (much like a large father trying to tiptoe from his
sons bedroom through a maize of toys) .
| A
moose's antlers are gigantic. Spanning 6 feet they can
weigh 75 Lbs. Imagine wearing a 75 pound baseball cap
for 50 years! |
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Moose frequent streams, shallow
lakes and sloughs. They dine on shrubs and light woods. In the
summer they submerge themselves in streams and ponds, even over
their heads where they feed on aquatic plants. Mostly they eat
young deciduous trees and conifers.
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They
haven't been accused of being handsome animals. They sport
a large bulbous head with significant ears humped shoulders
and a dewlap slung below the neck and above the front
legs. Hollywood look out!
Moose are very capable swimmers and can
submerge for a minute or more to depths of 20 feet or
more. They can pack away 60 pounds of food per day! |
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