News
ENLARGE
I've had some close encounters with moose. Well, one very close encounter and another with what a moose left behind.
When I was in graduate school we went on a trip to Jackson Hole and hired a guide to take us on horseback to see some wildlife. At some point on the trail we were stopped to look at some cranes, and something made me look to my left — and there was the biggest bull moose standing right next to my horse, literally towering over him. I could have reached over and touched him! Neither animal seemed the least bit perturbed at their close proximity, but I was a little uncomfortable at the sheer size of the beast, and as gently and quietly as I could, urged my horse to back away and get some distance from the moose.
On a recent Sunday, I was skiing in the tracks at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. All of the sudden I spotted a big brown pile. I literally had to lift one ski to avoid it. Upon examination, it consisted of rather largish brown, ball-shaped pellets, and my conclusion was that it was moose scat. I went into the Nordic Center building to report my finding, and Greg said that a moose had indeed been sighted that morning. Tuesday afternoon, again at Breck Nordic Center, lying down by the edge of Beaver Meadows, was a bull moose, his huge set of racks glistening in the sunlight. A fellow skier said he had spotted two bull moose by the edge of the meadows earlier.
One time we saw two cow moose sitting right by the edge of the Blue River downstream of the bridge in the Silverthorne Outlets. Many people had lined up on the bridge to watch them. The rangers set up some yellow tape so people wouldn't try to approach them on the river. They hung around for a couple of days, to the delight of many shoppers.
Moose are the largest of the deer family and the male is distinguished by the palmate antlers. Moose range across all of Canada, the Northeast, northern US, the mountains of Colorado and Utah. In Europe they are found in the Scandinavian countries and Russia. On average an adult moose stands 6-7 feet high and males weigh 850 to 1,580 pounds. The largest, the Alaskan subspecies, has a span of antlers 6 feet. A full-grown moose has few predators, except man, but a young moose can be prey to wolves. Moose are not territorial, and do not view humans as food (being herbivores), and will therefore usually not pursue a person. During mating season a bull moose may become aggressive or a cow moose may attack if someone gets between her and a calf. Moose are usually active during the day and sleep at night. They are generally solitary, but two individuals can be seen feeding together in a stream. In September or October if you hear grunting or wailing sounds, that is the call of the male and female during mating season. Females have an eight-month gestation period and will generally give birth in May or June to one and occasionally two calves. Newborn moose are reddish brown in color. The young will stay with the mother for about one year.
Moose antlers are the fastest growing animal appendage. It takes only three to five months to grow the 6-foot antlers. The male will generally drop his antlers after the mating season and a new set of antlers will then re-form in the spring. They are formed from living tissue supplied by blood through a network of vessels covered with a soft smooth skin called velvet. Eventually the tissue solidifies, the velvet is scraped off, and the antlers become completely formed of mineralized material. Immature bulls may not shed their antlers for the winter, but retain them through the following spring. The shedding of antlers is related to the decrease of testosterone during the winter months. Their main function is for display during the mating season and dominance within the herd.
More interesting moose facts: The origin of the word “moose” is thought to be from “mus” or “moos” of the Algonquian (North American Indian) family of languages — thought to mean “eater of twigs” as they are herbivores and spend much of their life chewing their cud. They live an average of 10-15 years. Moose can trot as fast as 35 miles an hour, are good swimmers and can remain underwater for up to a minute. The Soviet Union has some domesticated moose on farms that sell moose milk.
Moose seem quite happily adapted to our cold Rocky Mountain climes. They are depicted in many a rustic decor. I have at least three moose metal sculptures in my condo and probably some moose pot holders, place mats, and towels. There are local stores which exclusively feature moose-ware for the home.
Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen is a former professor of microbiology from Rutgers now teaching classes at CMC. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution.
When I was in graduate school we went on a trip to Jackson Hole and hired a guide to take us on horseback to see some wildlife. At some point on the trail we were stopped to look at some cranes, and something made me look to my left — and there was the biggest bull moose standing right next to my horse, literally towering over him. I could have reached over and touched him! Neither animal seemed the least bit perturbed at their close proximity, but I was a little uncomfortable at the sheer size of the beast, and as gently and quietly as I could, urged my horse to back away and get some distance from the moose.
On a recent Sunday, I was skiing in the tracks at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. All of the sudden I spotted a big brown pile. I literally had to lift one ski to avoid it. Upon examination, it consisted of rather largish brown, ball-shaped pellets, and my conclusion was that it was moose scat. I went into the Nordic Center building to report my finding, and Greg said that a moose had indeed been sighted that morning. Tuesday afternoon, again at Breck Nordic Center, lying down by the edge of Beaver Meadows, was a bull moose, his huge set of racks glistening in the sunlight. A fellow skier said he had spotted two bull moose by the edge of the meadows earlier.
One time we saw two cow moose sitting right by the edge of the Blue River downstream of the bridge in the Silverthorne Outlets. Many people had lined up on the bridge to watch them. The rangers set up some yellow tape so people wouldn't try to approach them on the river. They hung around for a couple of days, to the delight of many shoppers.
Moose are the largest of the deer family and the male is distinguished by the palmate antlers. Moose range across all of Canada, the Northeast, northern US, the mountains of Colorado and Utah. In Europe they are found in the Scandinavian countries and Russia. On average an adult moose stands 6-7 feet high and males weigh 850 to 1,580 pounds. The largest, the Alaskan subspecies, has a span of antlers 6 feet. A full-grown moose has few predators, except man, but a young moose can be prey to wolves. Moose are not territorial, and do not view humans as food (being herbivores), and will therefore usually not pursue a person. During mating season a bull moose may become aggressive or a cow moose may attack if someone gets between her and a calf. Moose are usually active during the day and sleep at night. They are generally solitary, but two individuals can be seen feeding together in a stream. In September or October if you hear grunting or wailing sounds, that is the call of the male and female during mating season. Females have an eight-month gestation period and will generally give birth in May or June to one and occasionally two calves. Newborn moose are reddish brown in color. The young will stay with the mother for about one year.
Moose antlers are the fastest growing animal appendage. It takes only three to five months to grow the 6-foot antlers. The male will generally drop his antlers after the mating season and a new set of antlers will then re-form in the spring. They are formed from living tissue supplied by blood through a network of vessels covered with a soft smooth skin called velvet. Eventually the tissue solidifies, the velvet is scraped off, and the antlers become completely formed of mineralized material. Immature bulls may not shed their antlers for the winter, but retain them through the following spring. The shedding of antlers is related to the decrease of testosterone during the winter months. Their main function is for display during the mating season and dominance within the herd.
More interesting moose facts: The origin of the word “moose” is thought to be from “mus” or “moos” of the Algonquian (North American Indian) family of languages — thought to mean “eater of twigs” as they are herbivores and spend much of their life chewing their cud. They live an average of 10-15 years. Moose can trot as fast as 35 miles an hour, are good swimmers and can remain underwater for up to a minute. The Soviet Union has some domesticated moose on farms that sell moose milk.
Moose seem quite happily adapted to our cold Rocky Mountain climes. They are depicted in many a rustic decor. I have at least three moose metal sculptures in my condo and probably some moose pot holders, place mats, and towels. There are local stores which exclusively feature moose-ware for the home.
Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen is a former professor of microbiology from Rutgers now teaching classes at CMC. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution.
