The elk is the largest member of the deer family. It is also the tallest ungulate after the giraffe. But if a giraffe reaches such a height due to long neck, then the moose is a true giant. Moose have been hunted for centuries, but the attitude towards this animal was not purely consumeristic, but respectful. Among the American Indians, it was considered honorable to bear the name Elk.

Elk (Alces alces).

Among other deer, the elk stands out sharply for its appearance. First of all, its huge size is striking - the body length can reach 3 m, the height of the elk exceeds 2 m, the weight is 500-600 kg. The body of the elk is relatively short, but the legs are very long. The muzzle of the elk is also not like its fellows. The head of the elk is large and heavy, the muzzle is long, large upper lip hangs slightly above the bottom. The antlers of an elk have a characteristic shape: the base of the horn (trunk) is short, processes diverge from it forward, to the sides and back in a half-fan, the trunk is connected to the processes by a flattened part - a “shovel”. For this shape, the elk was nicknamed "elk".

Some moose have a fold of skin hanging under the throat, the so-called "earring".

However, the shape of the horns varies in moose from different regions. Their size also depends on the age of the moose: the older the animal, the wider the size of the “shovel” and the more processes it has. In moose, only males wear antlers. The color of moose is the same type - dark brown with a lighter belly and legs.

Elk extremely rare white color.

The hooves of the elk, in comparison with other deer, are very wide. This form of hooves is necessary for animals to move through the viscous soil of swamps, which is not easy for such a giant. Long legs allow the elk to move easily in dense thickets of forests, along swampy river banks and deep snow.

If necessary, the elk easily develops a speed of 30-40 km / h.

Its distribution area is huge. It is found in Europe, Asia and North America from the border of the tundra in the north to the forest-steppe regions in the south. In prehistoric times, elk formed the basis of the diet of primitive people along with deer, aurochs (primitive bulls) and mammoths. Now, in many parts of their range, moose have been destroyed. For example, in Western Europe they can only be found in the Scandinavian countries.

A huge moose in the forest can be invisible.

Moose are purely forest animals. On the one hand, they tend to dense and impassable forests, on the other hand, they are often forced to feed on the edges and in thickets along the banks of rivers. IN North America moose often visit populated areas.

An elk wandered into a car park (USA). The photo clearly shows the actual size of the beast.

Moose lead a solitary lifestyle and even during the rut do not form large clusters. Moose feed mainly on branches of trees and shrubs. In some forest nurseries, moose are pests because they can completely eat a couple of hectares of young pines during the winter.

Elks especially like the branches of willow, birch, aspen and pine.

In summer, moose willingly eat grass, mushrooms and even algae. Moose are generally not indifferent to aquatic vegetation, they visit reservoirs with pleasure, where they not only hide from the summer gnat, but also graze. For a portion of algae, an elk can even dive, although it is usually enough for a long-legged elk to simply bend its neck.

The elk is feeding in the pond.

Moose mating season starts at August-September. Males begin to roar deafly. Females come to their call. Moose rarely form large flocks during the rut, and they also do not arrange exhausting fights between males.

Usually, after several such butts, the weak one gives way to a stronger opponent.

Females give birth to one (rarely two) moose in April-May. Like all deer, elk calves prefer to lie down under some bush for the first week of life (although they can walk), only then do they begin to accompany their mother.

Moose female with calf.

It is interesting that long-legged elk calves at first cannot reach the grass and graze on their knees.

A young elk grazes on his knees.

However, babies grow quickly and soon begin to eat on a par with their mother. Moose live for 20-25 years, but in nature they usually die earlier. Moose have many natural enemies. The large size of the moose does not scare off predators, but rather even attracts. After all, by killing one such giant, you can provide yourself with food for many days in advance. The main enemies of moose are wolves and bears. If a large bear can fight with an elk on an equal footing, then wolves oppose dexterity and large numbers to elk. Alone, a wolf will not dare to fight an elk, but a pack of wolves is a serious danger. Often wolves use the tactic to drive (exhaust) the elk, drive it out into the open and surround it.

A pack of wolves caught an elk.

It is difficult for Sukhatom to keep all-round defense, especially if the fight takes place on the ice of a reservoir. Here, the feet of the moose do a sad service. Long-legged moose on ice are completely helpless and can simply break their limbs (even without the participation of wolves). The picture looks completely different when the moose is in the thicket. Here he often takes a deaf defense: having covered the rear with some tree or thickets of bushes, the elk defends itself from the attackers with blows from the front legs. With this signature blow, the elk is able to split the skull of the wolf and can easily defend itself from the bear. Therefore, predators avoid meeting the elk “face to face”. Cougars and lynxes can attack moose calves. For moose, winter starvation is a great danger; some animals die in winter from exhaustion.

For humans, the elk is also a desirable prey. Elk meat tastes like beef, but as always main reason hunting for it becomes human vanity. Elk antlers obtained from a live animal are considered an honorary trophy. And often not even horns, but simple photo with the trophy obtained, becomes the target of this hunt. Few people know that the formidable and mighty elk is easily tamed. In zoos, by the way, moose are rare. Moose are difficult to keep because they consume a lot of branch food, which is not easy to provide for animals. Moose are also sensitive to overheating, so they are not kept in zoos in hot countries. But in the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve in the 50-60s, experiments were carried out on the domestication of the elk. Unlike most of the delusional experiments of the Soviet era, these attempts were quite successful. Within a short time, it was possible to create an elk farm, all the pets of which were absolutely tame and controlled. It turned out that to tame an elk, it is enough just to feed it with milk.

Little moose are so attached to a person that they simply perceive him as their mother.

During the experiment, another unusual quality of moose was discovered - they have a phenomenal memory. An elk fed by a man remembers his caregiver all his life! There were cases when moose, brought up by people, went into the forest, but when they met many years later, adult wild animals recognized the person and responded to the nickname! The question is, why does a person need a domesticated elk? It turned out that there are many discoveries in this issue. Elk can be not only a source of meat, it can also be milked. Moose milk is more fat than cow's milk, and males can be used as draft animals. Sounds funny? But do not rush to conclusions. After all, domesticated moose were not intended at all for the middle lane, but for the deaf taiga regions, where there is no place for traditional animal husbandry. It turned out to be more profitable to use moose to move through deep impassability than horses. But the experiments did not receive a worthy continuation. As usual, the country's leadership decided that to drive all-terrain vehicles and lay railways in permafrost is better than fiddling with living beings. But in the USA moose farms still exist today.

Elk, or elk (lat. Alces alces) is an artiodactyl mammal, the largest species of the deer family.

Description

Elk is one of the most large species modern deer. The body of an adult male can reach up to 3 meters in length with a height at the withers of up to 240 cm and a weight of up to 600 kg. His appearance elk is markedly different from the closest relatives of deer. This animal has very long legs, a powerful wide rib cage and a massive hook-nosed head. The swollen upper lip noticeably hangs over the lower lip. Elk ears are large and mobile. Under the throat of the animal hangs a leathery outgrowth up to 40 cm, which is called the "earring". Moose antlers have a short trunk and a wide, slightly concave spade. The shovel, in turn, is surrounded by processes, which can be up to 18. However, the antlers of an elk have a variable design and may not even have a shovel at all, like an ordinary deer. The color of the body of moose is black-brown, and the legs are from light gray to almost white. The color of the moose performs a protective function and matches the color of the bark of the trees of the surrounding forest. Therefore, the shades of color of animals depend on the habitat. The winter color of moose is noticeably lighter than the summer color.

Moose males differ from females in their mighty horns. In young moose, antlers (knitting needles) appear only one and a half years after birth. In the third year of life, they begin to branch, and only after that does the characteristic moose shovel begin to appear. The final shape of the horns of the animal is acquired only in the fifth year of life. Different subspecies of moose have antlers of different sizes and weights. At the same time, even individuals of the same subspecies can have horns of different designs and sizes. Their span reaches 180 cm, weight - 20-30 kg. An elk sheds its antlers annually in November - December and walks without them until April - May. The females are hornless.

Elk is often called elk because of the horns, which resemble a plow in their shape.

The East Siberian elk, unlike the European one, has an elongated head and a narrow hook-nosed muzzle. The large upper lip strongly hangs over the lower one. The wool of the East Siberian elk is colored black-brown at the end of the muzzle, the sides are colored more dark color, which captures the abdominal part of the body. The groin area is lighter. In males, a brown stripe extends along the spine. Legs with inside they are painted in a grayish-yellow color, and on the outside the wool is distinguished by a dark brown color. The outgrowth, or the so-called "earring", which is located under the throat, reaches a length of about 40 centimeters. Western moose have a shorter "earring".

Spreading

The habitat of moose is very extensive. These animals are very common in northern forests Europe, Asia, North America. In certain periods of past years, the number of moose for various reasons was significantly reduced, however, through the efforts of zoologists and some states, their numbers were restored and increased. Today moose live in European countries: Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland. In Asia, moose are common in China and Mongolia. On the North American continent, elk lives in Canada.

The East Siberian elk is distributed in Siberia, east of the Yenisei River and on Far East, with the exception of the Amur and Ussuri regions. The wool of moose before the onset of winter is painted in red-gray shades.

Lifestyle

Elk is a sedentary animal. Moose rise from the bed only for feeding, and after that they lay down again until the next meal. They lead an active lifestyle only during the rut, when males show aggression and are dangerous even for humans. With the end of the mating season, the animals again become calm to the point of phlegm. Despite the apparent monotony, the life of moose has its own characteristics. IN different time years, for example, these forest giants behave differently. Moose can create temporary herds, roam from place to place, change the composition of the food supply and ways of obtaining food. Winter in the life of moose is divided into two periods: little snow and much snow.

Moose inhabit various forests, thickets of willows along the banks of steppe rivers and lakes, in the forest-tundra they keep along birch and aspen forests. In the steppe and tundra in the summer they are also found far from the forest, sometimes for hundreds of kilometers. Great importance for moose, there are swamps, quiet rivers and lakes, where in summer they feed on aquatic vegetation and escape from the heat. In winter, elk need mixed and coniferous forests with thick undergrowth. In that part of the range where the height of the snow cover is not more than 30-50 cm, moose live sedentary; where it reaches 70 cm, they make transitions to less snowy areas for the winter. The transition to wintering places is gradual and lasts from October to December-January. The first to go are females with calves, the last are adult males and females without calves. Moose walk 10-15 km a day. Reverse, spring migrations occur during the melting of snow and in the reverse order: adult males go first, females with calves last.

It is most convenient to start describing the sequence of seasons in the life of elk in the fall, when young of the year become independent, and adults fatten on the eve of winter. The autumn transition period lasts about a month and represents the transition from summer to winter food. Features and terms of this transitional period are determined climatic conditions in this animal habitat.

In winter, moose prefer coniferous and mixed forests. Settled image Moose lead their lives with a snow cover height of 30 to 50 cm. If the snow is deep - 70 or more centimeters, moose migrate to less snowy areas. December-January is the time when moose leave for their wintering grounds. Females with young are the first to leave for the winter, followed by childless females and males. At the same time, within one day, moose travel 10-15 kilometers. When the snow begins to melt, the animals leave their wintering grounds. In this case, the males are the first to go on the road, and the females with offspring follow him.

In summer, due to the heat and blood-sucking insects, moose active life they lead at night, and during the day they lie down on wind-blown glades and swamps. In winter, on the contrary, during the day the animals feed, and spend the night in a bed. With the onset of severe frosts, moose can burrow into the snow so that only the head remains outside. IN middle lane In Russia, moose prefer to winter in the thickets of young pine forests, and in Siberia, these animals winter in willow or young birch groves located near rivers.

Moose run fast, up to 56 km/h; swim well. Looking for aquatic plants, they can keep their heads under water for more than a minute. They defend themselves from predators with blows from their front legs. Of the sense organs, the elk has the best developed hearing and sense of smell; vision is weak - he does not see a motionless person at a distance of a few tens of meters.

reproduction

Males and single females live alone or in small groups of 3-4 animals. In summer and winter, adult females walk with calves, forming groups of 3-4 animals, sometimes males and single females join them, forming a herd of 5-8 animals. In the spring, these herds break up.

Moose rut occurs in the same season as deer, in September-October, and is accompanied by a characteristic deaf roar of males (“groan”). During the rut, males and females are excited and aggressive, they can even attack a person. Males arrange fights, sometimes to the death. Unlike most deer, the elk is a conditional monogamous, rarely mating with more than one female.

During the mating season, male elk do not form harems like other types of deer. During the rut, the males are very excited, break branches with their horns, dig holes with their hooves, look for females and follow them, driving away competitors and sometimes getting into a fight with them. At this time, moose, mostly males, lose their inherent caution, and cease to be afraid of people, which creates the feeling that in autumn there are noticeably more moose in the forest. The mating season lasts about two months and ends in October or November. Females reach sexual maturity by the second or third autumn, and males a year later.

Pregnancy of females lasts about 230 days, after which the moose cow brings one or two cubs. This happens in April or May. It should be noted that in paired litters one of their calves often dies. Moose calves are born solid light red and remain in their birthplace for about a week, and then begin to walk with their mother. At the same time, they are already beginning to feed on the leaves of aspens and birches. But they are not yet able to get grass during this period because of their long legs. Only at the age of one month do calves learn to kneel and eat grass when feeding. The female feeds calves with milk until about 4 months of age. Moose milk is 3-4 times fatter than cow's milk, and its protein content is 5 times higher. During the day, the calf consumes 1 - 2 liters of milk. The young growth grows rapidly and by the first autumn the calves reach a weight of about 130 kg, and sometimes up to 200 kg.

Moose become sexually mature at 2 years old. After 12 years, the elk begins to age; in nature, moose older than 10 years are no more than 3%. In captivity, they live up to 20-22 years.

Nutrition

Moose feed on trees, shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, as well as mosses, lichens and fungi. In summer, they eat leaves, taking them out due to their growth from a considerable height; they feed on aquatic and near-water plants (watch, marigold, egg capsules, water lilies, horsetails), as well as tall grasses in burned areas and cutting areas - fireweed, sorrel. At the end of summer they look for cap mushrooms, blueberry twigs and lingonberries with berries. From September, they begin to bite the shoots and branches of trees and shrubs, and by November they almost completely switch to branch food. The main winter food items for moose are willow, pine (in North America - fir), aspen, mountain ash, birch, raspberry; in the thaw they gnaw at the bark. During the day, an adult elk eats: in summer about 35 kg of feed, and in winter - 12-15 kg; per year - about 7 tons. large numbers moose damage forest nurseries and plantings. Almost everywhere moose visit salt licks; in winter, salt is licked even from highways.

Economic importance

Elk is a hunting animal (meat and skin).

In Russia and Scandinavia, attempts were made to domesticate and use moose as a riding and dairy animal, but the complexity of keeping makes this economically impractical. There were 7 moose farms in the USSR, at present there are two - the moose farm of the Pechoro-Ilychsky reserve in the village of Yaksha and the Sumarokovskaya elk farm in the Kostroma region. These experiments are reflected in the film by A. Zguridi "The Tale of the Forest Giant". Both moose farms are state-owned. There are tours on the farms.

Moose, with a large number in this area, destroy a lot of forest undergrowth and harm forest plantations. Moreover, forests various types, moose cause damage of various nature and magnitude. However, people often exaggerate the damage these animals cause to forests. Specially conducted studies eloquently show that the damage caused by moose does not significantly affect the life of forests. This, of course, applies to those cases when the number of moose in a given area does not exceed certain allowable values. If the number of moose becomes too high, then it becomes necessary to regulate it.

walk along wild forest always accompanied by intrigue - who can be found in these places. We offer you to get acquainted with the true master of the forest - the elk. Elk is a unique animal with many interesting features.

Elk is a mammal. The animal represents a detachment of artiodactyl ruminants. From a distance, it can be confused with a deer, because both of these animals belong to the deer family. A distinctive feature of the animal is branched horns, similar to a plow. From this, the name elk is firmly entrenched in the people.


The artiodactyl is rightfully considered the largest representative of the deer. The height at the withers reaches more than 2 m. 30 cm, and the length of his body is 3 m. Few of the forest dwellers can boast of such “external data”. How much does an adult elk weigh with such an impressive size. In answering this question, it is impossible to name a single figure that can be guided by. A young elk weighs about 300 kg, and large adults can overcome the mark of 800 kg. On average, the weight fluctuates around 500-600 kg, but females weigh fewer males. A graceful moose cow can have only 200 kg of weight in her body.


Taken from wikipedia.com

moose speed

The chest of the artiodactyl is powerful, the shoulder girdle is just as powerful. The legs are rather long, moderately thick, but with narrow hooves. This suggests that moose run great, and are not forest lumps at all. The speed of the elk can reach 70 km / h, so when asked who runs faster, an elk or a deer, you can give the championship to the elk. But the speed of a deer develops only up to 55 km / h. If we compare who quickly overcomes the distance of a lion or an elk, then here the elk loses. Also, elk are excellent swimmers - if necessary, they can swim up to 20 km continuously, and deer cannot boast of this.

The coat of the animal is quite coarse, but the undercoat is soft. The animal prepares thoroughly for winter - its coat lengthens by about 10 cm, which does not allow freezing in winter. The hair on the neck and withers is longer, so it looks like there is a mane. The color of the moose is very interesting - outwardly it looks almost black, the brown color of its coat is so saturated. In the lower part of the body, in the abdomen, you can see a light brown color, which creates a beautiful ombre. The legs of the elk have characteristic white "socks". IN summer time the animal becomes darker, but by winter the coat brightens a little.

Here is a visual video of how an elk runs across the field:

Horns

The greatest pride of the elk is the antlers. It is because of them that he became prey for humans. Even in the old days, elk horns in the house were considered the main prey of the hunter, they were a symbol of dexterity and good luck in hunting. The weight of such horns can reach an average of up to 20 kg, and this is not surprising, because their span is almost two meters.

The base of the horns is a short trunk and a branching in the form of a spade, on which 18 processes are located. The horns of the elk are individual. The size and location of the processes are hallmarks between animals. Usually, the adult representative has the most massive and heavy processes, but a small elk can boast of its horns only after its first birthday. Initially, they are soft, the base is covered with thin skin and short, delicate hair.

During this period, young individuals suffer from insect bites, as they bite through the horns, reaching the blood vessels passing inside. After about a year or so, the horns harden so much that active blood circulation in the tissues stops. From this moment on, the horns grow in breadth, and in five years the width of the shovel will be much larger than the processes. At this age, the horns of the juvenile become similar in shape to those of the adult.


Usually, by the onset of winter, the animal sheds its horns. This is a completely painless procedure that brings him relief. To get rid of the horns, the elk actively rubs them against the trees, after which the antlers fall off. It grows new antlers in the spring, hardening in July. By the way, only males have horns, while females are deprived of such decoration.

"The elk has shed its antlers." Author: Theresa Holiday
"The antlers thrown by the elk". Author: William Jacobson

There is an opinion that horns are needed so that the elk in the forest defends itself from other animals, but this is not true. The main purpose of the horns is to attract the female to mating season and protecting her from other males. As the mating season passes, the horns become unnecessary. The shedding of antlers for winter greatly facilitates wintering - it is easier for the animal to move and seek shelter.

The immediate cause of the loss of horns is a decrease in the amount of sex hormones produced in the animal's body. As a result of a hormone deficiency at the base of the horns, special cells are activated that can have a destructive effect on bone tissue. It is thanks to their work that the horns are significantly weakened, and then completely disappear. The antler's horns become an important food for forest animals - squirrels, birds and predatory animals eat protein, which is found in abundance in the horns.

Where does the elk live?

Moose lives mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Earlier in European countries, the shooting of moose was allowed, so a century and a half ago they practically disappeared. On the territory of Russia, environmental laws have been adopted, thanks to which the moose population has been preserved. However, isolated incidents of poaching do occur.

Modern Europe also acquired these animals, and they were brought to the north. Now moose live in Belarus, Norway, Finland, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary. The Baltic countries can also boast of elk. The artiodactyl feels at ease in Russia - the area of ​​\u200b\u200bsettlement extends from the Kola Peninsula to steppe zone on South. The elk is common in both Canada and the United States of America.

Animals love cool coniferous forests, where there is marshy soil, rivers or streams. They feel best in the forest-tundra, because there are many different trees. The routine does not suit the animal, so the elk will look for diverse greens.

Artiodactyls do not move very actively - they look for food near their permanent habitat, and if the area is rich in food, then the elk in such a zone can linger for a long time. Since they love medium-sized and low-growing shrubs, they suffer from a lack of food in winter. Sometimes the height of the snow cover exceeds 70 cm, which is unacceptable for those places where groups of moose live. This forces the moose to look for a new place to live. An animal cannot get food in such a layer of snow. In this case, the animals migrate to places with less snow cover, and in the spring they return to their usual habitat. The group of moose is quite grouped, in winter they try not to disperse far from each other, but in spring they show more independence.


For chewing food, the elk has eight large and powerful incisors located on the lower jaw. All the elk eats are plants, so the animal's teeth are designed for long-term grinding. Also, six molars and the same number of small molars are involved in the process of chewing.

What does an elk eat while living in the forest - of course, pasture plants. Among the animal's preferences are grasses, shrubs, moss, mushrooms, lichens. Among the trees, the elk prefers to eat the succulent leaves of mountain ash, birch, maple and ash. If there are swamps in the area where the animal usually lives, then the artiodactyl will gladly eat plants that grow near the water. He loves the elk marsh water lily, marigold, egg capsules. When a young sedge is coming, animals are happy to include it in their diet.


Author: Stefania Backer

Of the herbs, the elk prefer Ivan-tea, fireweed, sorrel. The diet contains cranberries and blueberries, and in the fall, moose also add tree bark. If the animal loves succulent plants so much, what does the moose eat when autumn and winter come? As soon as the leaves begin to dry and fall off, the elk actively eat the branches. At this time, in the forest you can see a lot of bitten bushes - this is the work of elks. In winter, moose eat the bark of trees and shrubs - pine, forest raspberries, mountain ash or fir. All that the elk eats at this time is rather meager and monotonous food. Lichen and rags of trees can be obtained from under the snow in winter. The food that the elk eats can reach about 35 kg per day in the summer, but in winter it is three times less. IN winter time moose drink very little water.

Interesting fact

Moose eat mainly in the morning and late in the evening. In the middle of the day, they lie down in those places where they are not bothered by blood-sucking insects.

Lifespan

Moose live for about 25 years, but in vivo habitat life expectancy of approximately 10 years. Some moose die from predators living in the forest, various diseases. Other animals are dying at the hands of man. Winter is an unsettling time - many animals die during the course of the ice, and the kids do not survive the harsh cold.


Author: Sarah Blare
Author: Richard Hardman

Very often deer and elk are confused. And this is not surprising, because the description of animals is similar, and only an experienced person will see the differences. Both animals represent the artiodactyl order and the deer family. Of course, belonging to the same classification group ensures the similarity of these animals, but there are still significant differences. For example, the moose has heaviest weight from deer, but the weight of a deer is three times less.

Another fact that distinguishes an elk from its deer relative is the antlers. The moose also boasts more long legs, which the deer does not have. The structure of the horns of animals is also different - the direction of growth and the shape of the branches. It can also be noted that the deer and its female can have horns, but in moose, only males wear antlers.

  • Moose are not only excellent swimmers, but also divers - for prey, an elk can dive to a depth of about 5 meters and hold its breath under water for half a minute.

In summer, moose are active during the day, mainly in the first 2-3 weeks of June. With the advent of in large numbers gadflies and gadflies moose switch to a nocturnal lifestyle, which is also facilitated by heat during daytime hours. For the day, the animals go to calmer and cooler places, where the wind pulls more strongly and there are fewer midges; V highlands they often rise higher up the slopes (Sikhote-Alin, Altai, Southern Urals), go out to open spaces and large clearings, appear above the forest border. Often, moose, as, for example, near populated areas, hide for the day in thickets of coniferous young growths, in marshy alder groves, among bushes. Where moose are little disturbed, they settle for the day in open swamps, along the shores of lakes, on shallows and river spits, often right in the water, somewhere they lie in shallow water, then they go into the water up to their necks. In the heat, the elk willingly lies down in a damp place; as soon as it warms up from the body, the animal gets up and settles down on the bed in a new place.

During the period of mass flight of horseflies, moose in the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve during the day remain on the hay about 60% of the total time of the day, in the "blind-free time" - slightly more than 50%. However, even where there are practically no horseflies (Lapland Reserve), moose still lie most of the day in summer. Obviously, during the day, animals are oppressed not only by horseflies, but also by high air temperature, which is in good agreement with observations on moose in captivity.

Moose come out for feeding in the summer with the onset of twilight, when the heat subsides, go to bed no later than 6-7 in the morning. They feed on burned areas, in coastal bushes, in swamps, often also in water bodies, where they sometimes spend most of the day. Moose love deaf and heavily overgrown oxbow lakes and small channels, as well as shallow bays of lakes. Animals get underwater vegetation by plunging their heads under water. In a shallow place, they prefer to feed so that the ears remain above the water. In the deep, they sometimes dive for food. There are cases when moose dived to a depth of 5 m and remained under water for up to 50 seconds or more (usually no more than 30 seconds), so that even ripples disappeared on the surface. Feeding with aquatic plants continues continuously from 30 minutes to 1 hour, after which there is a long break, during which the moose stand in the water or even come out of it. In some cases, they start eating again after only 10-15 minutes.

Moose go to salt licks at night, and where they are little disturbed, also in the evening or in the morning. Moose visits close salt licks every day, up to 7-8 times during the dark part of the day. They do not visit the remote salt licks every day, but sometimes they stay near them for a whole day (Sikhote-Alin). On the salt lick, the elk sucks in water and semi-liquid mud with its lips for 10-15 minutes, sometimes up to an hour, almost continuously. After that, he goes to feed or drinks clean water.

It is not difficult for a moose to swim several kilometers. On lakes, they periodically visit islands up to 2-3 km from the coast. In the Lapland Reserve 12%. of all summer meetings of elk fell on animals swimming across the lake. The speed of a calmly swimming moose is about 2 km per hour. There are cases when moose crossed the Rybinsk reservoir, making a path through the water 20 km long. Approximately the same distance as the record is indicated for the Scandinavian and American moose.

Through the swamp, the elk goes the shortest way, choosing those places where the “continental” land capes protrude far or there are “islands” of manes. Buturlin especially emphasizes the amazing ability of the elk to walk through the swamps: in swampy places the animal “creeps on its belly”, stretching its front legs forward. Tarasov believes that the elk is better adapted to overcome the swamps than the reindeer. In Altai, moose cross the swamps along certain paths, knocking out deep ditches 50-70 cm deep in the drier parts.

The elk is generally a slow animal; unnecessarily, he avoids running, but walks with a wide step, easily covering 1.5 km in 10 minutes. Moose moving away from the car can gallop along the highway for several hundred meters at speeds up to 35 and allegedly even up to 55 km per hour. The speed of an elk trotting without much haste is 15-16 km per hour. Moose jump worse than other ungulates. They throw their front legs over a two-meter fence and waddle heavily, usually breaking the poles.

To get food from the ground, moose usually have to spread their front legs wide or even kneel. Eating mushrooms, sorrel, lingonberries, lilies of the valley, young elk calves, kneeling, often crawl. Adult moose especially willingly pluck the tops of relatively tall herbaceous plants.

During the rut period, active moose can be found at any hour of the day. In winter, during the day, the elk lays down several times and feeds several times. At the beginning of winter, adults lie down 4-5 times a day, by the end of it, big snow, up to 8-10. Young lie down somewhat more often than adults. In the river basin Demyanka periods of rest and feeding of moose in winter alternate 5-6 times a day.

In the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in frosts, moose remain on the hay 75-80% of the night time, while only 35-40% during the day. At a temperature of 40-50 °, moose lie for many hours, deeply plunging into loose snow, from which only the withers and head are visible; thus reducing heat transfer. The opinion that moose are more active in frost than at other times is obviously wrong. At the same time, it is highly probable that where moose are pursued by hunters, the diurnal rhythm of their activity apparently shifts to the dark part of the day. Kaplanov believes that the elk in winter is more active at night than during the day. IN strong winds and snowstorms, moose lie down somewhere under cover, climb into the thicket of coniferous young growths.

At feeding, the elk stands more, plucking branches and needles, than it walks; on movement with snow of 60-65 cm, he spends no more than 2 hours during the day. In the Lapland Reserve, with a snow cover height of 50-90 cm, moose ate branches and needles from one tree or bush about 5 times more intensively than at the beginning of winter with a snow layer of no more than 10-12 cm. When feeding, moose often break small trees.

They do this by grasping the top with their mouth and then bending the stem as they move forward. The moose trail always runs away from the tree. In the literature, it was usually indicated that the beast does this by leaning on a tree with its chest and passing it between its legs.

The weight load on the trace of an elk is very significant and, depending on the method of its determination, is 322-749 g per 1 cm² (Pechora-Ilychsky Reserve). When relying on the hooves and: the phalanxes of the fingers when moving on snow and marshy ground, the weight load is halved. Nevertheless, the elk sinks deep into the snow: almost to the ground or at least 2/3 of its thickness. But the movement of an elk in the snow is greatly helped by its large growth and long legs.

On the Kola Peninsula, adult moose easily overcome loose snow cover 40-50 cm high. animals can run on it without much difficulty. A young calf like this it's snowing following the adults. With a snow cover density of 0.20-0.22 and a height of 85-90 cm, adult moose on the run get snow with their stomachs and move with great difficulty. A snow depth of 90-100 cm can be considered critical for moose; with such snow, especially in the case of ice crust, wintering conditions are much more difficult, however, if hunters do not often disturb moose, they overwinter safely. In areas where there is intensive fishing for moose, animals prefer to stay where the snow cover is not higher than 70-80 cm.

Being wary of the approach of the enemy, the elk relies most of all on instinct and hearing. His eyesight is relatively poorly developed: an elk notices a motionless person poorly - much worse than a reindeer. Before lying down, moose usually turn into the wind, making a semicircle or a loop, and lie down somewhere on an elevated place, sometimes behind a tree or eversion, with their heads in the direction of the track, from where the wind pulls. The approach of the enemy in this case will be noticed in advance. On the bed, moose sleep or chew gum; never sleep standing up.

Moose attack people extremely rarely and usually only males during the rut or wounded animals do this. In the latter case, the elk is very dangerous, since a blow from the front leg can easily kill a person. Depending on the activity of the moose, its body temperature fluctuates over a fairly wide range. With a large physical activity it can rise to 41°, in winter it is usually equal to 35.8-37°, in young people it sometimes drops to 34°.

Any large groups of moose, about 12-18 individuals, are rare and usually such herds disintegrate soon. In summer, adult females go with calves, often also with last year's ones, males and barren females live alone, rarely unite in mixed or same-sex pairs and groups of up to 3-4 animals. At the end of the rut, some of the pairs are retained and calves and often also one and a half year olds join them, and sometimes extraneous adult moose; in such a herd there can be 5-8 and even 10 moose.

Some old males after the rut live apart all winter, younger ones unite in small groups, which can also be joined by barren females or one and a half year old males. One and a half year olds separated from females are often found in pairs. In winter, herding is higher than in summer; in more snowy winters higher than with low snow cover. In the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, the herding rate from October to February ranged from 1.7 to 2.7 heads; in March, when the snow cover is the highest, it was 3.7. In the spring, the herds break up. Herding is higher in those parts of the range where the population density is more significant.

The description of the moose for children will help you write essays using different options and prepare for the lesson.

Moose animal description

Real forest giants live in our forests. These are moose. In the whole guise of a forest giant, power and strength are felt.

The moose has a large hook-nosed head. The upper thick lip is longer than the lower one. The body is massive, with a nape that looks like a hump. Long ears sensitively pick up the slightest sound. Warm thick wool protects the animal from frost.

Elk legs are long, with wide hooves. They allow you to walk in deep snow, in a swamp.

Moose also run and swim fast. A river will meet - an elk will easily swim across it and can even dive under water for a minute. On a hot day, moose love to go into the water: both cool and rescue from mosquitoes and midges.

The moose also has an ornament - large wide horns. And so that they do not interfere with running through the forest thickets, the elk raises its head, as if putting its horns on its back. True, in winter, the elk sheds its decoration.

Babies are born in the spring. Moose moose mother gently licks her cub, feeds him with milk.

Moose are strong and brave. Strong horns, a hoof strike will stop the enemy - a wolf or a bear. Everyone who goes to the forest knows that if a moose cow walks with a calf, it is better not to approach them! And the calf, in case of danger, hides - hides. If you pass by, you won't notice.

These amazing giants live in our forests.

Moose short description

Moose inhabit various forests, thickets of willows along the banks of steppe rivers and lakes.

Elk body length up to 3 m, height at the withers up to 2.3 m, tail length 12-13 cm; weight 360-600 kg. The females are smaller. By appearance elk is markedly different from other deer. His body and neck are short, his withers are high, in the form of a hump. The legs are strongly elongated, therefore, in order to get drunk, the elk is forced to go deep into the water or kneel on its front legs. The head is large, hook-nosed, with an overhanging fleshy upper lip. Under the throat there is a soft leathery outgrowth (“earring”), reaching 25-40 cm. The coat is coarse, brownish-black; legs light grey, almost white.

Males have huge spade-shaped horns, which they shed annually in November - December and walk without them until April - May. The females are hornless.

Branches form the basis of their diet. coniferous trees, various shrubs, berries, mushrooms, and even algae.

Moose run fast, up to 56 km/h; swim well. Looking for aquatic plants, they can keep their heads under water for more than a minute. Of the sense organs, the elk has the best developed hearing and sense of smell; vision is weak - he does not see a motionless person at a distance of a few tens of meters.

Moose animal description for children

One of the largest animals, the elk, lives in our forests. It's easy to recognize him. Large, powerful legs, hook-nosed muzzle, high withers. Adult males boast large, spade-like horns. But sometimes the antlers bother the moose. And he drops them in November-December and goes without them until May.

Elk body length up to 3 m, height at the withers up to 2.3 m, tail length 12-13 cm; weight 360-600 kg. The females are smaller. Moose is a sponge, its upper lip is very large. The neck is short, the ears are long, pointed. Wool - brown, with various shades of ashy. In summer, the color of the elk coat is darker.

What does a moose eat? Branches of trees and shrubs, marigold, sedge, as well as marsh vegetation. Elk's favorite delicacy is Ivan-tea plants.

In winter, the elk feeds during the day and sleeps at night. In summer, the opposite is true. Hiding from the heat and midges, on a summer day he rests, and at night he looks for food. At the end of summer, in the mornings and evenings, males make sounds similar to a deaf and drawn-out moo.

IN last days May - early June, a moose cow gives birth to one, less often two moose. Newborns weigh an average of 12-14 kilograms.