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These Twig Eaters Grow Fast - Moose


These Twig Eaters Grow Fast - Moose

During fall rut and winter, Moose live almost solely on twigs and shrubs such as balsam fir, poplar, red osier dogwood, birch, willow, and red and striped maples. With their tremendous physical power, moose can travel over almost any terrain in search of food, but in Winter, Moose limit their activity to save energy. When food becomes scarce, moose will strip bark from trees for sustenance.

In summer, Moose eat leaves, some upland plants, and water plants in great quantity when available. An adult Moose eats from 15 to 20 kg of twigs each day in winter, and in summer - 25 to 30 kg of forage including leaves, twigs, shrubs, upland plants, and water plants. Moose Bulls, Cows and Calves also eat under the surface of lakes to feed on lilies and other water plants.

Even on a diet such as this, Moose calves gain weight faster than any other ungulate or big-game animal. The largest Moose recorded so far was a bull in the Yukon which weighed a whopping 1800 pounds.

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