ARCTICULATES ® : Blogging in Alaska

... HERE MOOSEY MOOSEY! ...


April 19, 2008

Arcticulates ®

Focusing on Alaska's Beauty

Author: K. Fields

~ ~ Here Moosey Moosey! ~ ~

We have a lot of Moose living in this area (between 150,000 and 170,000 live in Alaska). We have to be cautious when we are outside and notice one nearby, because they have no problem with stomping a human.

They chew the bark of the Willow bushes that grow around our house. We can tell how deep the snow was every winter by how high the chew marks are on the trees when the snow melts.

I own a business which thrives during tourist season, and the one question everyone alway asks, is "where are the Moose"? They expect to see them everywhere, which they are, but half the time you don’t even know they're there.

For such large ungainly animals they walk very quietly. The best way I can think of to give you some kinda idea of how well they blend in is when you see on some cartoons, where they've had a Moose, Bull, or Buffalo, completely disappear behind a skinny tree.

I know it sounds silly, but there are many people who can confirm this! You can be watching a Moose walk across the road, and it seems as soon as they hit the tree line, you have to really look hard to see them, most of the time you can’t. They blend in so quickly with the trees it seems as if they disappear.

A Mass of Moose

Rare-group-of-moose (photo by K. Fields)
Photo by Mike Kingston

Spring and Summer is when we see all the baby (calves) Moose with their mamas (known as Cows).

It normally takes about 230 days gestation, about half the time twins occur, depending on the right environmental conditions. The baby usually weighs 30 pounds at birth, and can grow to 300 pounds in the first 5 months. They will not survive without the mamas for at least 1 year…

Now and then I have seen triplets.

We have to be extra careful around a mama Moose with her baby/babies; she is more aggressive and will chase after you, if you seem a slightest threat to her little ones.

Mama Moose And Her Little One

momma-with-baby (photo by Mike Kingston)
Photo by Mike Kingston

We can see Moose in almost all the areas where there's water, they eat the algae on the bottom of the small lakes, and they have no problem swimming across a lake or river.

A adult female (Cow) Moose usually weighs around 1300 pounds and never have antlers, and a full grown Male (Bull) can weigh approximately 1800 pounds, plus his antlers can weigh up to 75 pounds, and they stand around or over 7 feet tall when in full antler.

Moose, if they can survive predators, (Wolves, Bears, Hunters) vehicles, (300 to 1000 moose can be killed a year on the Highways and railroad tracks) weather conditions (extreme winters and no food), and stay healthy usually can live a little past 15 years.

Bull (male) Moose Swimming

Bull-moose (photo by Mike Kingston)
Photo by Mike Kingston

Moose are my favorite, I think they are awesome, seeing a full grown Bull Moose in his full dark brown velvet covered antlers can take your breath away, they are so magnificent!

Later...

K Fields


See:
Manchester the Moose

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kfields
Author: K. Fields
Alaska, USA

I live in Northern Alaska!
Hence the unique spelling of my blog title.

I love Alaska!

It can be a challenging place to live, but... the beauty that surrounds me makes it all worth while.

This blog/website is my opinion or views on what I hear, or see, on just about anything!

Mixed with some genuine facts!


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