Moose 30cm - Soft Toy

Physical Characteristics
Moose are the largest of all the deer species. Males are immediately recognisable by their huge antlers, which can spread 6 feet (1.8 meters) from end to end. Moose have long faces and muzzles that dangle over their chins. A flap of skin known as a bell sways beneath each moose's throat.

Habitat
Moose are found in northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia. In Europe and Asia, moose are called elk.

Behaviour
While a male moose may use its antlers to hold off a predator, a moose's sharp hooves are its first line of defense. Moose are able to kick out in all directions, but generally use their front feet. While a male may use its antlers to hold off a predator, a moose's sharp hooves are its first line of defense. Moose are able to kick out in all directions, but generally use their front feet.

Breeding
Male moose, called bulls, bellow loudly to attract mates each September and October. The usually solitary bulls may come together at this time to battle with their antlers for mating supremacy. After mating, the two sexes go their separate ways until the following year. Females give birth to one or two calves in the spring - each weighing some 14kgs! These calves grow quickly and can outrun a person by the time they are just five days old.

Diet
Moose eat willow, birch and aspen twigs, horsetail, sedges, roots, pond weeds and grasses. Moose also eat the bark of some woody plants, as well as lichens, aquatic plants and some of the taller herbaceous land plants, and they can actually feed under water.

Strange and Interesting Facts
The word "moose" comes from the Algonquin Indians. These were native people who lived throughout the northern regions of Canada. The Algonquins called this strange looking creature mooswa. It means "twig-eater" or "the animal that strips bark off of trees."