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| Grazing contentedly by pond’s edge, the fleet-footed moose is usually a difficult animal to spot in the wilderness due to its keen sense of hearing.
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Moose tracks
Largest of the deer family, Alces alces is a surprisingly tricky ungulate to track
By Rathiha Egbert
To catch a fleeting glimpse of a magnificent moose grazing amongst the foliage by boreal
highways is fairly common for motorists in Canada. However, meticulously scouring an area
for marks of these majestic beasts can require a trained eye. The moose (Alces Alces)
is reputed to be one of the more elusive creatures to track.Apart from
locating hoof prints or scavenging for stray antlers, determining whether the surprisingly
stealthy ungulate has been present in an area can be tricky business.
Foraging trends
Dr. Art Rodgers, a research scientist with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, advises
the tracker to look for browse lines — evidence of their nibbling on trees and shrubs — in
order to determine if there has been moose in the area. Although, Dr. Rogers concedes,
it is an often difficult to verify.
"Moose browsing can be mistaken for snowshoe hare browsing. The difference is that
moose leave an extra little sprig of bark behind from the gap between its two front-end
incisors," says Rodgers.
Moose nip off 15 to 20 kilograms of twigs daily in the winter, to a diametre between
0.5 and 5 millimetres, leaving rough, shredded tips. The massive mammal consumes 25 to
30 kilograms of forage on summer days, mainly twigs, shrubs, leaves and upland plants.
Uprooted aquatic plants in the early summer are another sign that a local moose has been
using its diving skills – often plunging over five metres to browse the bottom of
lakes.
Qualitative feeding
Dennis Murray, a biologist and professor at Trent University, says moose struggle for
food during early spring.
"Browse lines can be 10 or so feet off the ground because of snow accumulation.
But, when they run out of snow, moose do not have access to fresh shoots," says Murray.
But, according to Murray, this predicament creates another sign that moose are about.
"When they’re quite hungry, they’ll scrape the bark off of trees to consume
the bark," he says.
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"Moose usually move in after an area has been damaged,
be it by natural disturbance due to fire or windstorms, or logging. If anything,
they would probably stimulate the growth of new vegetation."
—Dennis Murray, Trent University |
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Habitats and Tracks
Moose can occupy many different habitats and can be found in a wide variety of forest
nooks and crannies. Having a low tolerance for heat, bull moose seek higher elevations
among hardwoods for shade, where food supply is less available. Cow moose and calves remain
at lower elevations among softwoods, where food is concentrated, limiting their feeding
time and exposure to predators.
Their cloven hooves are often over 18 centimetres long, which leave
tell-tale trampling effects on small plants, shrubs, or anything that lies in its path.
Moose can travel over any terrain.
A bull’s antlers grow each summer, initially soft with velvety skin, then harden
by late September when they rub the velvet off against tree trunks. Antlers are most likely
found in the fall during shedding period.
Helping the habitat
Unlike Sweden where the forest industry considers moose as pests, Murray says there isn’t
much detrimental damage to North American vegetation. He says moose usually browse a hectare
of land for one to two weeks. And according to Murray, moose redistribute nutrients through
their droppings.
Aside from demolition feeding practices during the winter in certain areas, Murray can’t
imagine moose completely destroying a habitat.
"Moose usually move in after an area has been damaged, be it by natural disturbance
due to fire or windstorms, or logging," he says. "If anything, they would probably
stimulate the growth of new vegetation."
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