The North American Moose

The moose is the largest member of the deer family and is the tallest mammal in North America. Moose are usually 6 feet tall from their shoulders to their feet. Females usually weigh between 800 to 1300 pounds. Males usually weigh between 1200 to 1600 pounds. They have long, brown, thick fur. Their hair is hollow which helps to warm them up quickly and to keep them warm. Their legs are long, their front legs being longer than the back legs.

The male moose has broad antlers, which are 5 to 6 feet across. When antlers first start to grow in the summer, they have a soft fuzzy skin called velvet on them. The velvet has blood vessels in it, that deliver nutrients to help the antlers grow. In the late summer the blood vessels dry up and the velvet falls off.

Moose are usually known as “twig eaters.” When it’s warm moose eat leaves, twigs, and buds off hardwood and softwood trees and shrubs. It also eats water plants like water lilies.