Moose Classification

They are herbivores animals that feed upon leaves and fruits but they do not graze like other grazers and prefer non-grasses, like soft shoots, and fruits of high-growing woody plants. They prefer the newly growing deciduous trees consisting of high sugar content such as white birch, aspen, and willow.

They also feed on aquatic plants such as lilies and pondweed. The mating season of moose occurs in September and October, which is called the rut. During this period they gather in groups but besides this period they rarely gather and live solely thus considered as solitary animals.

Bulls stop feeding for two weeks during this period, which is perhaps due to hormonal changes that also result in scent-urinating and other rutting behaviors. During a single mating season, the bull seeks to mate with multiple females that result in competition between males.

In that condition, males show their dominance over others based on their antlers and body size, sometimes it also escalates into physical fights if neither retreats. Cows follow an eight-month gestation period and gave birth to a single calf weighing around 30 pounds.

Sometimes twins can also produce in a condition of plentiful food occurrence. The new born moose have a red tint that fades away with maturation and comprises brown fur like their parents. They begin their solitary lifestyle after one year of birth.

The predators of moose include the Siberian tiger that feeds upon adult moose in the Russian Far East, gray wolf packs and brown bears in North America also preys on adults, American black bears and cougars bear threat to new born calves. Sometimes while swimming, they are also killed by killer whales on America’s northwest coast.