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Biology 250

Description
The largest member of the deer family (cervid) in the world. Long, dark brown to black hair. High, humped shoulders; long, slender legs. Large flap under the chin called a dewlap. Large ears. Male is much larger than female, with massive, broadly flattened antlers. Antler spread usually 4-5’; record 6’9”.
Habitat
Moose can be found in a range of habitats in the cold, northern regions of the globe that have seasonal snow cover. They inhabit the taiga and temperate forest biomes, including the tundra-subalpine zone. Forest types include boreal, broadleaf and mixed (coniferous-deciduous). Within these forests, they prefer the early successional stage, where forage is in abundance due to disturbance. Fire, logging, flooding, or glacial action greatly increase the quality and quantity of forage for moose and, ultimately, moose density. Besides forested habitats, moose will seek out areas near water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers and swamps, which also have a concentration of their favorite foods.
Diet
moose primarily browse upon the stems and twigs of woody plants in the winter and the leaves and shoots of deciduous plants in the summer.
Ecosystem Roles
Moose can have a significant impact on ecosystems because of their daily activities of feeding, trampling, defecating, and urinating. Moose can affect the rate of nutrient cycling, floral composition, rate of forest succession, and biological diversity of a forest. For this reason, they are considered to be a keystone species.
Alces alces
Moose
