ADAPTATIONS OF ALCES, THE NORTH AMERICAN MOOSE

Having spent my childhood in the woods of northern Maine, I have long been familiar with moose. I have always found them to be intriguing, and my admiration for them has only grown as I have gotten older. They are massive, stoic creatures — gentle giants when they aren’t directly threatened or protecting their young. It is important to realize that the moose’s many curiosities aren’t novelties or mistakes, but adaptations that enable them to thrive in their environment. Three of these adaptations will be explained and their importance discussed in this paper.

Natural History:

The Moose, Alces alces, is a large even-toed ungulate of the cervidae (deer) family and artiodactyla order. They stand up to 6 feet tall at the shoulder, with dark brownish/blackish fur, long legs, a bell of skin and fur hanging from their neck, and large antlers (Geist, 2019). North American Moose populations spread throughout the boreal regions of Canada and the United States, from Alaska across Canada to Maine. The climate of these areas are characteristic of most boreal regions, with long cold winters and short cool summers (Hiltz et al., 2004). According to a study performed in British Columbia in 2004, moose habitats include areas close to water, shrublands, treeless wet meadows made up of mosses and herbs, coniferous and deciduous forests, and even areas characterized by human disturbance such as “cut areas, burned areas, and industrially disturbed areas in various stages of regeneration” (Hiltz et al., 2004). The study showed that while some habitats were preferred over others, there were noticeable differences in habitat preference among individual moose (Hiltz et al., 2004). This may be an indication that in general moose are adapted