Ich Bin Ein Canadian!

Can you find where I am mentioned in this video? Very clever these humans!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2010 from Coolasacrazymoose.blogspot.com

Cute Moose Family has Fun and Refreshment!

Ok I know... This is a repost. I just love these two videos that I had to put them both together in one post for future reference. (Yes, moose do research.)So here are the cutest things you ever saw.....

This mom and her little ones love this place. So much fun with the sprinkler and plenty to eat!

By the way, the person that shot these videos said they were both shot (with a video camera... phew) the same evening. He said he has seen them only once again but they were frightened away when a truck went by. He keeps his camera ready for them.

Moose Art

Even moose have an artistic side. I sure hope they don't serve moose meat there!

 

Give Moose a Brake! (Part five in a five part series)

If you travel in the North Country of New Hampshire, you may encounter road signs which warn for moose in the roadway. These signs are bright yellow contrasting with black lettering. On the left of the sign, a moose profile stands proudly. Next to the moose in large letters are the words "BRAKE FOR MOOSE." Under this all was a tally board counting all of the moose collisions in the state. Taking a lesson from McDonald's with "billions served," the state gave up counting after 200 collisions to include the words "hundreds of collisions."

U.S. Highway 201 leads through some of the thickest moose country in the east. The stretch from The Forks to Jackman, Maine is infamously known as "Moose Alley." The state highway department has gone to great lengths to preserve the lives of both moose and motorist. They have carved "rumble strips" into the pavement at areas of great moose traffic. This low frequency sound, produced from the vibration of vehicle tires passing over the strips, are not only alarming to motorists, but they are terrifying to moose. Large signs in both English and French are armed with motion sensors. When a vehicle triggers the motion sensors, it sends a signal to large amber flashing lights on these signs which warn of moose ahead.

Despite these advances in moose technology, both moose and motorist continue to lose their lives in collisions. Moose are difficult to see on the roadway at dusk; and they do prefer to travel at dusk. When a car strikes a moose, the main body of the animal usually crushes the passenger compartment of the vehicle with unfortunate results. Click here for proof. One positive note, state law provides that a survivor of a moose or deer collision be allowed to take the carcass home.

One might ask, why are moose hanging around our streets and highways? Man has provided them with a much needed nutrient which the animal craves. Salt is the culprit. This compound which is used to de-ice our roads in the winter months also attracts moose to our roadsides. When salt melts, it seeps into the soil. Plants which grow nearby pull this sodium into its root system. Moose especially love these tender roots. Never have I traveled "Moose Alley" without spotting a moose grazing on the roadside.

Generally moose thrive where man derives utility from them. Where moose are useful, people are interested in them and informed about them. Where people take an informed interest of moose and moose habitat, they work hard to protect them and regulate human to moose interaction. Moose do benefit from this care and attention and populations will increase.

According to the State of New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department website, New Hampshire's current moose population stands around 6500. This is up from merely 15. They were nearly hunted to extinction in the late 1800s.

Moose are completely dependent upon humans and cannot survive without such caring and sympathy. This magnificent animal we enjoy today has been restored and will thrive through active, intelligent management. They are nature's gift. Conservation does work!

(excepted from "Size Does Matter")

Moose Sex (bet that headline grabbed you) (Part four of a five part series)

Spring is the season of birth for many animals including the moose. By early in May, last year's offspring, a close companion of its mother, is now considered an intruder and is driven off by the cow. She will seek solitude in which to bring forth the next generation. This adaptation conserves her energy and resources. The youngsters must be tremendously confused and bewildered when its mother formerly its source of nourishment, its consoler in times of stress, and its protector in danger, suddenly rejects it.

Unperturbed, the yearling will continue to try to reunite with its mother only to be rejected again and again. Eventually this rejection is accepted and the yearling must face the dangers of its world alone. It may, for a time, drift about the periphery of the cow's feeding territory in the slim chance she will discard her aggressiveness and once again tolerate its presence. Most times the yearling wanders off on its own in search of a new life.

Rutting season is a time when moose become most aggressive. It is not recommended to encounter moose during the months of September and October. This rut is the time of mating. It is a time of great competition for both cows looking for bulls and for bulls looking for cows. During the height of the rut, a bull's neck becomes swollen. His eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep. He also is rather grumpy and has a short temper. He travels widely and eats little, as his only interest is in finding a mate. The true meaning of the word rut can be found deep in the territory of the bull. He actually does dig a rut with his hooves, urinates in the rut, stomps around in it for a while, and allows this urine soaked mud to splash upon his legs and lower body. He may even lie down in it. A quirky behavior indeed. This caked on, urine soaked mud acts as a "moose cologne" to attract many cows who are in season to mate.

After the rutting season, bulls will wander off. They are thin from a lack of food and strenuous activity. They are now mild-mannered and join other bulls for the beginning of the winter. His antlers are now a useless weight. Bulls will lose them as they bang them against trees. The cycle begins again in April.

(excepted from "Size Does Matter")

Society's Growing Problem - PMI (public moose intoxication) (Part three of a five part series)

Moose are described as fertility junkies. They can only live under highly fertile conditions, on young soils, In juvenile ecosystems. The deep, soft soils in the Temperate Zone of the Northern Hemisphere support rapid summer growth of tender, nutrient-rich plants.

Moose are ruminants, which means they chew their cud. Some cattle also do this. The initial chewing of twigs is swallowed into a rumen to be broken down with the aid of protozoa. These protozoa are a normal part of plant life. This process is also a partial fermentation. After the initial fermentation, the rumen is returned to the mouth for re chewing. The processed rumen is then passed on to the primary digestive system.

Prefermenting plant food allows the moose to survive on relatively less food than other herbivores such as horses, elephants, and rhinos. In times of little food, such as winter, moose can survive on smaller amounts of vegetation due to this simple adaptation.

Moose do occasionally become intoxicated above and beyond the natural fermentation process of the rumen. The following news clip can attest to this:

STOCKHOLM (Reuters)-Police shot dead a drunken moose that attacked a young boy while intoxicated on fermented apples, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported Monday. The moose attacked the 8-year-old as he played in the garden of his home in the town of Karlskoga in central Sweden. The youngster was badly shaken but escaped serious injury, suffering only a bruised neck. Moose, common in sparsely populated Sweden, are normally shy creatures but can become aggressive when they eat rotten apples, a favorite winter snack that can make them drunk. (Reuters 12/30/02)

Click on this link

Note to self: Don't pick a fight with a moose that hangs around an apple orchard in the winter.

(excepted from "Size Does Matter")

Try the Latest Dieting Fad - Twigs! (Part two of a five part series)

The Algonquian Indians had an appropriate name for this magnificent animal. Their word-"mons" or "moz"- has developed into the English language as "moose." Although the word we now use offers little information about the animal, "twig eater," a loose translation of the Algonquian term, provides an adequate description of its diet.
Moose are browsers, but not in the literary sense. You won't see them in the public library. They love to eat tips of twigs, which is also called browsing. They particularly like the most recent growth and gorge themselves on trees that have blown down from windstorms. They are also fond of shrubbery. It is sometimes alarming to see a moose peering into your bedroom window as he munches on your prized home shrubbery in the depths of the winter.
Aquatic plants are a favorite of the moose. They contain much needed sodium which moose crave. This craving sometimes gets them in trouble. I'll post about this later.
Moose have the amazing ability to dive to great depths. They can stay under water for up to two minutes. They do this to seek out and feed upon the highly coveted aquatic plants. They sometimes can be seen with racks full of dangling water lilies.
On a canoe trip I once took down the aptly named Moose River, we spotted ahead of us what we thought was a large boulder in the middle of the stream. As we approached, the "boulder" took on a rather hairy appearance. Suddenly, within twenty meters, a giant rack and nose appeared above the water attached to this boulder. I don't know who was startled more, but we had to make quick to avoid this moose. As we slid by on river right, he began approaching us to protect his feeding territory. We now paddled even faster. The last we saw of this "boulder" was of just his head and rack, which was covered with aquatic plant life, swimming downstream toward us.

(excepted from "Size Does Matter")

Size Does Matter! (Part one of a five part series) Originally posted 7/30/08

Question: What did the female moose say to the male moose? Answer: Nice rack!

Yes, this chauvinistic remark that we of the human species may be reluctant to speak, for fear of sexual harassment charges, is perfectly acceptable in the moose kingdom. Who knew?

The moose certainly does have some exotic behaviors as well as a reputation for awkwardness. Early settlers from the cities of England thought moose as monsters. Some thought of them as over twelve feet tall! I hope this blog will bring to light some of the peculiarities of the moose (alces alces americanus) as well as debunk some "moose myths" and defend its clumsy reputation.

It turns out that bigger truly is better in the moose world. One attraction the female moose (cow) has to the male moose (bull) is the mass of his antlers. If a bull eats well all summer, his rack will grow to massive proportions. This mass is a signal to the cow that this bull is a more desirable mate in that he has better knowledge of food sources than a bull with a smaller rack. The cow is even more aggressive toward other cows to ensure that this bull is only her mate. In essence, she........ "stands by her man." lol

Antlered animals are found only in the deer family-deer, elk, caribou, and moose. Horned animals such as sheep, cattle, bison, and antelope differ as they have permanent fixtures. Antlers are deciduous, meaning they are shed and grown new each year. Among the females of the deer family, only the female caribou normally has antlers. The moose has the largest and heaviest antlers. An exceptionally large moose may have antlers that measure two meters across. Antlers growth only take place between the months of April and August. Growth rate is rapid-up to 15mm per day or 18-25 kg of mass in 140 days.

Advice From A Moose

Advice from a Moose:

Think big... Spend time in the woods... Eat plenty of greens... Hold your head up high... Stay on track... Keep your nose clean... It's OK to be a little wild!

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