Foods That Moose Eat

Moose

• Moose, Alces alces, is the largest representative of the deer family. Notable features of the moose are its large snout and ears. However, moose are best known for the large antlers on their head, features that only appear in males. Moose antlers are significantly larger than deer antlers. In fact, on average, they are 4.5 feet in width. The largest recorded pair of antlers was more than 6 feet wide.

Range

• Moose are most common in the northern parts of North America. They inhabit nearly all parts of Canada and regularly appear in Alaska and parts of the northwestern United States. Traditional ranges of moose have changed throughout history. In fact, Ontario and parts of British Columbia owe their high moose populations entirely to human activity. Also, before the 1900s, moose were nonexistent in Newfoundland. It is believed that a few moose were led there by humans. These few moose thrived, creating the population that exists there today. Overall, moose prefer quiet forests with plenty of water and land and aquatic plants ready for consumption.

Summer Foods

• During the summer, moose regularly eat leaves and plants that grow in the water. It is speculated that they favor aquatic plants because they need these plants' sodium, which is usually in high concentrations. Having a short necks poses a disadvantage for moose during the summer months. Usually, they are forced to bend their knees or kneel to reach aquatic plants. During a typical summer day, a moose will consume around 60 pounds of forage.

Winter Foods

• During the winter, moose adapt to food scarcity by limiting the amount of food they eat and by being inactive. In fact, moose live on around 40 pounds of food a day. When they are eating, moose typically consume twigs and surviving bushes. Regular winter meals include balsam fir, poplar, birch, willow, certain maples, and red osier dogwood. Food is scarcest at the end of winter. If a moose is desperate for substance at this time, it will strip bark from trees.