Known as the largest singular genera of the deer family, the moose according to North American folklore or Eurasian elk in European culture are most distinguishable by the leaf shaped antlers of the male species as opposed to the twig-like antlers commonly recognized in other members of the deer family.
The moose is known for conventionally inhabiting temperate broadleaf, mixed forests and taiga forest regions found in the Northern Hemisphere containing tepid to boreal climate conditions. Traditionally the species were found to roam over a wider range of landscape, however mankind’s sporting activities including the hunting of the animals in addition to urban development have resulted in a significant decrease in their numbers.
A large majority of the moose found today has been actively relocated into areas previously inhabited by the breed and as such are mostly found in a number of countries including Alaska, Russia, Scandinavia and Canada.
The moose contrary to its relative deer species are observed as solitary animals not forming herds and can be found grazing by themselves maintaining a diet mainly comprised of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation and hunted by a range of predators including bears, wolves and man.
Although often viewed as a lethargic and slow-moving animal, the moose can quickly transform into an aggressive beast moving quickly and violently when frightened or angered as seen during their mating season during the autumn months when males can be seen competitively fighting over females as shown in the video below.
Facts about the Moose
- The word “moose” used in the United States was borrowed from the Algonquian language and first introduced into the English language in 1606 was used to describe the animal due to the synonymous naming of a different and somewhat related animal in the United States as an elk.
- For Native Americans the moose was hunted as a main source for their food diet, rich in protein and fat content and highly valued as a means of nourishment during winter seasons or on long hunting excursions. Native tribes in addition to Eastern tribes used their hides for producing leather as a measure of providing decorations and making moccasins.
- In much of the eastern regions of the United States, the moose is considered as an extinct species resulting from overhunting activities during the colonial period in addition to the devastation of the animal’s natural habitat by mankind.
- The New England state of Maine, northeastern United States and located south of the Canadian border experiences the most of the moose population with more than 76,000 heads in 2012 resulting from the regrowth of natural food sources for the moose, superior land management, pollution disposal, available farmlands previously abandoned, and the routinely distributing of resources made available by Quebec and the Canadian Maritimes.
- Moose populations located in Midwest United States are mostly limited to the regions including the upper Great Lakes, however on occasion young males will often wonder off south to as far as the eastern sections of the state of Iowa.
- In the European regions the moose is primarily found in large populations in the Baltic States, Norway, Poland, Finland and Sweden and to some extent in northern Ukraine, southern Czech Republic and Belarus. The European moose or Eurasian elk by the end of the last Ice Age were found to primarily inhabit mild areas with suitable living conditions extending to as far as Scotland. However as the Roman age declined to face the Dark Ages the animals experienced a slow decline in their numbers soon after vanishing entirely from the regions of France.
- It was not until the early 20th century that the Eurasian elk began to make its appearance in Scandinavian countries and isolated areas of Russia resulting in the attempted restoration of the habitat areas by Poland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Orrviken Garden Moose Webcam
The Orrviken Moose Garden resort located in Jamtland, Sweden provides visitors with a choice of accommodations from a wide range of modern day rooms offering amazing viewpoints of the forest wildlife along with the Storsjon mountains.
Working together with the Moose garden tourism company responsible for the adoption and care of two orphaned moose calves the lodge through their website link below allows viewers a live webcam featuring the moose living in their natural environment out in the woods.
View Orrviken Garden Moose webcam.
Isaberg Moose Park Webcam
The isaberg Mountain Resort located in Southern Sweden is a moose protected wilderness area of over 6 hectares designed and developed to facilitate the specific needs of the moose. The park additionally contains a stream and a pond for the moose to bathe themselves.
Online viewers are able to watch via a live webcam, the father moose Karl-Oskar, mother Amy-Linnea along with their two calves Isodor and Isa in a natural environment by visiting the link provided below.
View Isaberg Moose Park webcam.
River Point Resort Webcam
Since 1944 the River Point Resort located four hours from St. Paul Minneapolis in the heart of the Superior Natural Forest adjoining Ely, Minnesota has traditionally been a vacation resort offering providing families visiting the resort with enchanting wilderness memories through a variety of activities including Boundary Water Canoe Area adventure trips as well as an exciting experience gained via their accommodations.
The Point Resort webcam posted in the link below allows viewers to watch a live video stream of a number of wildlife animals within the area including the moose.
View River Point Resort webcam.
Moosecam.com
Located in Anchorage, Alaska Moosecam.com today is recognized as the foremost municipal moose website in the region creating moose awareness not only for children but also for individuals of all ages showing that moose found in urban districts are known for roaming the streets.
Although the website does not provide an active live webcam link to moose in the environment through their news segment on the website in the link provided below show a recorded video of a six hundred pound moose saved after falling through the ice.
View Moosecam webcam.