Happy Saturday from the Moose! The moose is the largest member of the deer family, averaging 950 to 1,000 pounds and sometimes exceeding 1,200 pounds -- its antlers can measure five feet across and weigh up to 40 pounds! Moose have fairly poor eyesight, but excellent senses of smell and hearing. Their long legs and splayed hooves allow them to move easily in marshy areas and along northern Minnesotas streams and lakes, where they browse on aquatic vegetation and on willows and shrubs along the shore. Moose are good swimmers and divers, too - they can dive to the bottom of shallow ponds and lakes to rip up bottom-growing vegetation. Minnesotas moose population has not been doing well lately, and has dropped 52% since 2010. The DNR has a moose study underway to try to learn more about whats happening, but science is a slow process and so far researchers are unable to say for sure what is wrong, or to propose any possible solutions. Learn more about the Minnesota moose research project here: mndnr.gov/moose
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 14:00:00 +0000
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