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Whitetail Deer Gestation Period
Moose are generally associated with northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia. These forest-loving animals, prefer home with thick timber and numerous lakes and swamps. Moose are well-suited to, and at there best in the water. Despite their staggering bulk, they are very strong swimmers, and have been known to dive underwater to depths of 13 feet in search of aquatic plants from the bottom. They are primarily cud chewing vegetation browsers.
Winter is a time of hunger for the moose. Their winter diet is needle bearing trees, hardwood bark, pine cones, buds, twigs, and branches, while in summer they feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs, on aquatic plants, forest grasses, and diverse herbs. They are strictly vegetarian, and often seek out the young saplings, and tender bark, but are able to adjust to a vast variety of available forage. Deer, elk, and even rabbits and beaver contend with the moose for food. An adult in winter eats 22 to 30 lbs of food a day, and more than 66 lbs a day during the summer and spring seasons. During the summer months, bulls spend about 25% of their energy growing antlers. In preparation for winter a moose will increase body weight by about twenty-five percent. As winter draws close, moose grow a thicker coat. Whitetail Deer Gestation Period
Moose are the largest of all the deer species, and one of the largest mammals in North America. Bulls grow to over 9 feet long, six feet tall at the withers, with typical weights well over 1,000 pounds. They are a cloven hoofed mammal with a broad, drooping muzzle that overhangs their mouth. Moose also have a beard-like flap of useless skin under their chin called a dewlap or bell. They have a dark brown, shaggy, course coat, and are long-legged with a short neck, massive shoulders, a sloping rump, and a short tail. The front legs are longer than the hind legs. Bull moose have a dark brown to black muzzle, while the cow moose's face is light brown. During the winter they turn a grayish color, helping to camouflage them in the snowy expanse. Males produce heavy grunting sounds that can be heard from up to 1000 feet away, while females produce high pitched sounds. Most moose make periodic movements for calving, rutting, and wintering, and are most active from dusk to midnight.and again around sunrise.
Moose are distinguished by the "palmate" (flattened like a hand) antlers of the males. They initially have a soft fuzzy skin called "velvet," which is shed once the antlers become fully developed. This velvet has nutrient rich blood vessels in it that help the antlers grow. Moose antlers take three to five months to fully grow. They may grow as much as three-quarters of an inch per day, making them one of the fastest growing animal organs. By late summer when the antlers reach full size, the nutrient rich blood supply dries up and the velvet begins to drop off. After the antlers are completely developed, they are solid bone, and may weigh as much as 50 pounds, and have perhaps more than 30 points. Whitetail Deer Gestation Period
