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Moose
Alces alces
44.7817, -107.767
Field Notes
Description:
Moose are the largest living deer. Alaskan bulls may weigh up to 1600 pounds with cows being smaller. They typically are dark brown or black with lighter colored legs. European Elk (moose) typically are slightly smaller and darker. Bulls have large palmated antlers. The photo above is of the "shiras" subspecies, which is the smallest of the North American subspecies, but still a very large animal.
Habitat:
Moose live in a variety of habitat ranging from deciduous and boreal forests, river bottoms, and have been expanding their range into regions dominated by shrubby tundra. They live in a wide swath across the northern hemisphere.
Notes:
I photographed this young bull in a light snow storm in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. There were several cows with him and they fed on willows for about two hours while I watched them. Notice the warts (pappilomas) a common virus-caused growth common among moose on the forehead of this animal.
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