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Moose Facts & Worksheets

The largest living species of the Cervidae family, the moose (Alces alces) is a peaceful animal that has a huge appetite.

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The largest living species of the Cervidae family, the moose (Alces alces) is a peaceful animal that has a huge appetite. Among the most fascinating animals, the moose adds to the wonder of nature for humans, having been observed swimming and diving underwater for up to a minute to search for food to eat.

See the fact file below for more information on the moose or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Moose worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HABITAT AND RANGE

  • Moose inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate and subarctic climates. They are typically found in North America, particularly in Canada, Alaska, New England, and the upper regions of the Rocky Mountains. They also wander in ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, bogs, and tundra.
  • In 1904, they were successfully brought to the island of Newfoundland, making them the dominant ungulates, or hoofed mammals.
  • Ten moose were also imported to Fiordland, New Zealand, in 1910, but were assumed to have reached extinction. Nevertheless, there have been recorded sightings that were thought to be just rumors until moose hair samples were discovered by a New Zealand scientist in 2002.

DESCRIPTION

  • The moose gets its tall and thin appearance from the great length of its legs. The muzzle is long and fleshy, having a tiny triangle-shaped naked patch under its nostrils.
  • A male moose has an odd sac, called a bell, dangling from its neck.
  • A moose has an unusual gait. Its normal stride is a shuffling trot, but when pressed, it can turn into a gallop and can reach speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour.
  • Male moose, called bulls, generally weigh 540 to 720 kilograms. Females, or cows, on the other hand, reach 400 kilograms. They typically stand around 1.9 meters tall at the shoulder.
  • Calves weigh around 15 kilograms at birth, but they rapidly grow in size.

ANTLERS

  • Only males have antlers, sometimes 160 centimeters across, weighing 20 kilograms. These antlers grow as cylindrical beams projecting on both sides of the moose’s head at right angles to the middle of the skull, and then they fork in different directins. The lower part of this fork can be simple, or partitioned into two or three tines, with some flattening.
  • In the North Siberian subspecies of the moose (Alces alces bedfordiae), the posterior division of the main fork is split into three tines, having no recognized flattening.
  • With the common moose (Alces alces alces), on the other hand, its antlers have branches that extend into a broad palmation, with one large tine at the bottom and several smaller snags on the free border.
  • Simpler antlers can be seen in a Scandinavian breed of the common moose.
  • The palmation seems to be more prominent in the North American subspecies (Alces alces americanus) compared to the typical Scandinavian subspecies. The Alaskan race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest, standing over 2 meters tall, with an antler span of 1.8 meters.
  • A male moose will lose its antlers after mating season to conserve energy for the upcoming winter. It will then regrow its antlers in the spring, which usually takes about three to five months, distinguishing their antlers as one of the fastest growing organs. The antlers originally have a layer of skin, but it sheds off once fully grown.
  • A castrated male moose, either caused by an accident or chemical means, will quickly shed his antlers and immediately start to grow a new set of permanent yet deformed antlers that he will wear throughout his life without having to shed again. The unique looking appendages, sometimes called “devil’s antlers”, are the basis of several myths and legends among a number of Inuit tribes and other indigenous groups of the North Americas.

DIET

  • They feed on young shoots and leaves of willow and birch, tree bark, and water plants, such as the Arnicus bursitis. During winter, they eat mast, which are fallen nuts of forest trees. Moose are sometimes spotted foraging in wetlands and swamps.
  • They are strong swimmers and are even dive underwater in lakes and ponds to grab plants from the bottom. These ruminants can stay underwater for 60 seconds before coming up for air.
  • Just like other ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and other members of the deer family, each side of their lower jaw has three molars, three premolars, and four front teeth. In the upper jaw, the moose has no front teeth, only a plate of horn against which the food is mashed.
  • During winter, these mammals eat approximately 18 to 22 kilograms of twigs and shrubs daily, while feeding on 22 to 27 kilograms of different types of leaves, shrubs, and water plants every day during the summer.

BREEDING

  • Mating season starts in mid-September and ends in mid-October. Females call males by emitting a scent to attract potential mates. They all assemble, and males fight for a female’s attention, warding off competitors by showing off their antlers, sometimes starting push fights that rarely turn into serious physical encounters because of the brutal outcome of locking antlers. Bulls also cover their bellies with urine-soaked mud to attract females.
  • Gestation takes eight to nine months, and female moose give birth in the spring or early summer. Within a day, a calf can walk, and after a few weeks, the young can swim already. Calves are weaned after six months and remain with their mother until after she gives birth to her next young.
  • Mothers, being very vigilant of their young, have been reported to charge people and even cars.
  • Despite the bull’s behavior to have more than one mate, he usually stays with his female partner for most of the mating season.

PREDATORS

  • Black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, cougars, and wolverines are the primary predators of moose.
  • During the winter, moose are easy targets for wolves, as the snow is deep and ponds and lakes freeze over, making it easy for moose to slip and fall.

VEHICLE COLLISIONS AND MOOSE WARNING SIGNS

  • A moose’s frame, with its large heavy body attached to long, slender legs, causes it danger when hit by motor vehicles. This is usually fatal for both the moose and the motorist. With these incidents, Scandinavia developed a vehicle test known as “moose test”.
  • The impact of the bumper in cars will break the moose’s legs. Its main body will slam into the windshield, often with a devastating effect to both the driver and the animal.
  • Moose warning signs are deployed on roads in areas prone to collision with the moose. The triangle-shaped warning signs can usually be seen in Sweden and Norway, and authorities have had to issue warnings and protocols that it is dangerous and illegal to remove one of these moose signs, as many German tourists reportedly take these signs as souvenirs.

Moose Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the moose across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Moose worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the moose (Alces alces) which is a peaceful animal that has a huge appetite. Among the most fascinating animals, the moose adds to the wonder of nature for humans, having been observed swimming and diving underwater for up to a minute to search for food to eat.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Moose Facts
  • What’s Up, Moose?
  • Moose Anatomy
  • Gigantic Facts
  • Moose of the North
  • Moose Wiki
  • Moose or Not
  • Growing Up a Moose
  • What’s the Difference?
  • Mighty Moose Quiz
  • Relationship with Humans

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Link will appear as Moose Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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