elk are one of the largest land animals with only a few others taller than them. They are known for the large antlers grown by males, as well as their distinctive call. These huge animals can weigh over 1,000 pounds and stand 5 feet tall at the shoulder, so they need a lot of energy to keep going. What food do moose eat and how do they find it?
Those are fair questions given their size. We’re going to explore the food that moose eat, how they continue to find food in adverse conditions, and the creatures big enough to hunt and take down moose.
What foods do moose eat?
Elk eat grasses, tree bark and forbs for the vast majority of their diet. Although moose are almost exclusively herbivorous, doctoral dissertation and recent home movies have shown moose consuming the eggs of small birds, the greater grouse. Evidence has also shown that elk sometimes eat bones and antlers, most likely as a supplement to their diet. In any case, moose are actually omnivores.
Elk eat many different foods throughout their lives, depending on what is available in their area. Here are some of the most common foods that elk will consume:
- bluegrass
- wheatgrass
- fescue
- Timothy grass
- dandelions
- willow
- elk thistle
- violets
- birch twigs
- Willow twigs
- aspen twigs
- Rowan twigs
- heath
- Lichen
- bird bones
- taller sage-grouse Eggs
- savanna sparrow
- goslings
- white clover
- acorns
This list is a good overview of the different foods that moose eat when they have the chance. By far their favorite food is grasses. Because moose are ruminants, they have multi-chambered stomachs that allow them to digest tough materials such as bark, twigs and their favorite grasses. Moose regurgitate and chew their food before swallowing it again as part of their digestive process.
The extensive studies on their behavior and foraging habits have seen moose eating much more food, especially when the seasons change.
What do baby moose eat?
Baby moose are called calves and they spend their early lives feeding on their mother’s milk. Calves feed exclusively on mother’s milk for the first weeks of their lives. Less than a month later, calves begin to integrate grass into their diet.
They continue to drink milk for 2-5 months after birth, during which time they introduce new foods into their diet. By the time they are one year old, they have adopted the full diet of an adult moose.
How much should moose eat?
As we have already mentioned, moose are huge creatures. Male elk, or bulls, can grow up to 5 feet tall and weigh 1,000 pounds. Female elk, called cows, can stand 4.5 feet tall at the shoulder and can reach a weight of 600 pounds.
Since they are primarily herbivores, moose must consume a lot of food to get the energy they need to travel, repel predators and forage.
The basic formula for determining how much moose should eat daily is about 3 pounds for every 100 pounds a moose weighs. A large cow eats 18 pounds of roughage, while a large bull eats nearly 30 pounds of food every day. That’s a huge amount of food, and this fact explains why moose are constantly on the lookout for nutritious food.
What do moose eat in winter?
The range of moose often brings them into areas that experience intense winters. While moose are capable of surviving in some difficult situations, shedding their summer coats and growing a thicker, warmer winter coat. Unless winter changes are moderate, moose will often migrate to warmer countries.
Elk eat different foods at different times of the year based on what is available to them. Their range extends to mountainous areas where they can withstand harsh winters, and their favorite grasses, shrubs and forbs will not be as available because of the deep snow.
Much of the food that moose eat in winter has a lower protein content than the summer food and the food is less digestible. Nevertheless, they make do with food not buried under the snow, leaving them with:
- Less nutritious grasses
- pine bark
- aspen bark
- pine needles
- Twigs from different trees
- juniper berry
- lichens
- Cattails
These are the most common foods that moose will eat during the winter. While nutritious foods are harder to come by during this time, their unique stomachs allow them to get the nutrition they need. The lack of food may also explain some of their more unique food choices, such as bits of bone and small birds.
What Predators Hunt Moose?
Moose are very large creatures with a lot of strength and antlers that can be used to kill other animals. They also contain a huge amount of muscle, so they provide a tempting meal for predators but not easy to take down.
The predators that prey on moose are tough, and they include:
Wolves are the most common killer of moose in many parts of the world, tracking them by scent and bringing them down as a pack. Humans are also a common predator of moose, preying on them for sport and food, although the latter is not as common as others deer, another member of the family Cervidae.
like others mammalsmoose are most vulnerable when they are young. While larger moose can deter some predators, they can’t fend off packs of large, hungry animals or a particularly daring bear.
Mo
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e are large mammals that eat many different foods, but they show a huge preference for grasses and anything they can eat in large quantities. Because they have to eat so much, they are often on the road and grazing.
While some people maintain that they are completely herbivorous, recent information and studies have shown that they are omnivores. The subject will certainly be explored as more documented cases of eating birds and their eggs become available.