km/h) for a period of up to two hours. At times, the animal may be
completely submerged for many seconds. When black flies and mosquitoes
torment it, the Moose may nearly submerge itself or roll in a wallow to
acquire a protective coating of mud.
Despite its ungainly appearance(matter of opinion), this animal can run through the forest quietly at speeds up to 35 mph . A full grown Bull Moose can weigh as much a three quarters of a ton and as tall as seven feet. Antlers as wide as six feet.
Vocalizations include the bull’s tremendous bellow, and also
"croaks" and "barks" during the rut. The cow has a long, quavering
moan, which ends in a cough-like moo-agh, and also a grunt used in
gathering the young. The bull rushes through the forest looking for
grunting cows and challenging rival bulls with bellows.
During mating season, a bull in rut urinates and then rolls in the
wallow he creates; cows also roll in it. The newborn calf can stand up
the first day; within a couple of weeks, it can swim. It is weaned at
about six months, and just before the birth of new calves, the mother
drives it off.The life span of the Moose is up to 20 years. Wolves (damn wolves) are
the main predator, but are extirpated from much of the Moose’s range.
The Moose is unpredictable and can be dangerous. It is normally a
retiring animal and avoids human contact, but a cow with calves is
irritable and fiercely protective, and rutting bulls occasionally have
charged people, horses, cars, and even trains.
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