Moose - Sierra Club BC
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Moose

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Moose

Alces alces 

Appearance

Moose are the largest member of the deer family; they weigh up to 600 kilograms in Canada (800 kilograms in Alaska) and stand taller than a horse. Mature bulls grow antlers up to 180 centimetres wide. 

Range & Habitat

There are between 500,000 and one million moose in Canada. They are found across Canada and Alaska in swamps and woodlands that have lots of green plants to eat and little snow in the winter. 

Reciprocal Relationships

Moose are herbivores, and eat twigs, shrubs, bark and tender plants. As a grazing animal, moose can change the landscape to increase heterogenized vegetation. In the summer bulking season, they can eat over 30 kilograms of food a day! 

Moose are solitary animals and spend most of their life alone until mating season when they gather in groups of up to 20. Male moose use their long antlers to fight each other to win a female’s affection.  

Adult moose are eaten by packs of wolves and grizzly bears. Calves are eaten by black and grizzly bears, cougars and sometimes wolverines. There are many threats to moose nowadays including hunting, land use, ticks, parasites and competition for food from beaver, deer and rabbits.  

Moose are important to human beings throughout the province. For the Dene Tha’, moose are hunted throughout the year, and every part of the moose has a purpose. The hide and bones are made into clothing and moccasins. The meat is eaten, frozen, or dried. The moose is also an important food source for  Tŝilhqot'in communities and is especially important for social and ceremonial hunting. People throughout the province are constantly working to protect moose populations. 

Status

COSEWIC: Not at Risk 
CDC: Yellow 

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca. 

Photo Credit

Canva

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