The Moose Is Very Large

The moose is the tallest and heaviest living deer species. Moose inhabit boreal forests across the Northern Hemisphere.

Adult bulls weigh 380 to 700 kg. Cows weigh 200 to 490 kg.

Most bulls grow broad, palmate antlers shaped like open hands. Antlers take three to five months to fully develop.

Antlers begin to shrink and lose their balanced shape.

Males drop antlers after mating season. Birds and rodents eat them. Rodents have expensive taste in calcium.

Unlike most deer, moose do not form herds. A calf stays with its mother until she begins estrus again.

Separation happens about 18 months after birth. The cow chases her calf away. Eighteen months is a long lease.

Humans hunted moose since the Ice Age. Greatest populations occur in Canada. Evidence suggests ancient hunting.