Moose
The moose (Alces alces) is the
world's largest member of the deer family. The Alaska race (Alces
alces gigas) is the largest of all the moose. Moose are generally
associated with northern forests. They are most abundant in recently burned areas
that contain willow and birch shrubs, on timberline plateaus, and
along the major rivers of
General description: Moose are
long-legged and heavy bodied with a drooping nose, a "bell" or dewlap
under the chin, and a small tail. Their color ranges from golden brown
to almost black, depending upon the season and the age of the animal.
The hair of newborn calves is generally red-brown fading to a lighter
rust color within a few weeks. Newborn calves weigh 28 to 35 pounds
(13-16 kg) and within five months grow to over 300 pounds (136 kg).
Males in prime condition weigh from 1,200 to 1,600 pounds (542-725
kg). Adult females weigh 800 to 1,300 pounds (364-591 kg). Only the
bulls have antlers. The largest moose antlers in North America come
from Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and the Northwest Territories of
Canada. Trophy class bulls are found throughout Alaska, but the
largest come from the western portion of the state. Moose occasionally
produce trophy-size antlers when they are 6 or 7 years old, with the
largest antlers grown at approximately 10 to 12 years of age. In the
wild, moose rarely live more than 16 years.
Life history: Cow moose generally
breed at 28 months, though some may breed as young as 16 months.
Calves are born any time from mid- May to early June after a gestation
period of about 230 days. Cows give birth to twins 15 to 75 percent of
the time, and triplets may occur once in every 1,000 births. The
incidence of twinning is directly related to range conditions. A cow
moose defends her newborn calf vigorously.
Calves begin taking solid food a few days
after birth. They are weaned in the fall at the time the mother is
breeding again. The maternal bond is generally maintained until calves
are 12 months old at which time the mother aggressively chases her
offspring from the immediate area just before she gives birth.
Moose breed in the fall with the peak of the
"rut" activities coming in late September and early October. Adult
males joust during the rut by bringing their antlers together and
pushing. Serious battles are rare. Bulls may receive a few punctures
or other damage and occasionally die from their wounds. The winner
usually mates with the female.
By late October, adult males have exhausted
their summer accumulation of fat and their desire for female company.
Once again they begin feeding. Antlers are shed as early as November,
but mostly in December and January.
Food habits: During fall and winter,
moose consume large quantities of willow, birch, and aspen twigs. In
some areas, moose actually establish a "hedge" or browse line 6 to 8
feet above the ground by clipping most of the terminal shoots of
favored food species. Spring is the time of grazing as well as
browsing. Moose eat a variety of foods, particularly sedges, equisetum
(horsetail), pond weeds, and grasses. During summer, moose feed on
vegetation in shallow ponds, forbs, and the leaves of birch, willow,
and aspen.
Movements: Most moose make seasonal
movements for calving, rutting, and wintering areas. They travel
anywhere from only a few miles to as many as 60 miles during these
transitions.
Population dynamics: Moose have a high
reproductive potential and can quickly fill a range to capacity if not
limited by predation, hunting, and severe weather. Deep crusted snow
can lead to malnutrition and subsequent death of hundreds of moose and
decrease the survival of the succeeding year's calves.
Moose are killed by wolves and black and
brown bears. Black bears take moose calves in May and June. Brown
bears kill calves and adults the entire time the bears are out of
their winter dens. Wolves kill moose throughout the year. Predation
limits the growth of many moose populations in Alaska.
Hunting: More people hunt moose than
any other of Alaska's big game species.
Economic and future status: Because
moose range over so much of Alaska, they have played an important role
in the development of the state. At one time professional hunters
supplied moose meat to mining camps. Historically, moose were an
important source of food, clothing, and implements to Athapaskan
Indians dwelling along the major rivers. Today, Alaskans and
nonresidents annually harvest approximately 6,000 to 8,000 moose—some
3.5 million pounds of meat. Moose are an important part of the Alaskan
landscape, and tourists photograph those animals that feed along the
highway.
Man's developments in Alaska include many
alterations upon the face of the land. These activities create
conflicts between man and moose as moose eat crops, stand on
airfields, eat young trees, wander the city streets, and collide with
cars and trains.
Man's removal of mature timber through
logging and careless use of fire has, in general, benefited moose as
new stands of young timber have created vast areas of high-quality
moose food. The future for moose is reasonably bright because man is
learning how to manipulate habitat with wildfire and is becoming more
skilled at managing factors that limit moose populations, such as
predation and hunting
Brown Bear Facts
Brown bears (Ursus arctos)
occur throughout Alaska except on the islands south of Frederick Sound
in southeastern Alaska, the islands west of Unimak in the Aleutian
Chain, and the islands of the Bering Sea. They also occur in Canada,
Asia, Europe, and in limited numbers in a few western states. Brown
bears are very much a part of the Alaska scene and are a favorite
topic with most hunters, hikers, photographers, and fishers.
General description: Formerly,
taxonomists listed brown and grizzly bears as separate species.
Technically, brown and grizzly bears are classified as the same
species, Ursus arctos. Brown bears on Kodiak Island are
classified as a distinct subspecies from those on the mainland because
they are genetically and physically isolated. The shape of their
skulls also differs slightly.
The term “brown bear” is commonly used to
refer to the members of this species found in coastal areas where
salmon is the primary food source. Brown bears found inland and in
northern habitats are often called “grizzlies.” In this paper, brown
bear is used to refer to all members of Ursus arctos.
The brown bear resembles its close relative
the black bear, Ursus americanus. The brown bear, however, is
usually larger, has a more prominent shoulder hump, less prominent
ears, and longer, straighter claws. Both the prominent hump and the
long claws of the brown bear are adaptations that are related to
feeding behavior. The long claws are useful in digging for roots or
excavating burrows of small mammals. The musculature and bone
structure of the hump are adaptations for digging and for attaining
bursts of speed necessary for capture of moose or caribou for food.
Color is not a reliable key in differentiating these bears because
both species have many color phases. Black bears, for example, occur
in many hues of brown, and even shades of blue and white. Brown bear
colors range from dark brown through light blond.
Bear weights vary depending on the time of
year. Bears weigh the least in the spring or early summer. They gain
weight rapidly during late summer and fall and are waddling fat just
prior to denning. At this time most mature males weigh between 500 and
900 pounds (180-410 kg) with extremely large individuals weighing as
much as 1,400 pounds (640 kg). Females weigh half to three-quarters as
much. An extremely large brown bear may have a skull 18 inches long
(46 cm) and 12 inches wide (30 cm). Such a bear, when standing on its
hind feet, is about 9 feet (2.7 m) tall. Inland bears are usually
smaller than coastal bears, probably because they do not have a
readily available supply of protein-rich food, such as salmon, in
their diet.
Brown bears have been known to live 34 years
in the wild, though this is rare. Usually, old males may reach 22
years. Old females may live to 26. Brown bears have an especially good
sense of smell and under the right conditions may be able to detect
odors more than a mile distant. Their hearing and eyesight are
probably equivalent to that of humans. When bears stand upright, it is
not to get ready to charge but to test the wind and to see better.
Life history: Mating takes place from
May through July with the peak of activity in early June. Brown bears
generally do not have strong mating ties. Individual bears are rarely
seen with a mate for more than a week. Males may mate with more than
one female during breeding season. The hairless young, weighing less
than a pound, are born the following January or February in a winter
den. Litter size ranges from one to four cubs, but two is most common.
Offspring typically separate from their mothers as 2-year olds in May
or June. Following separation, the mother can breed again and produce
a new litter of cubs the following year. In some parts of Alaska,
research results reveal that offspring may not separate from their
mothers until they are 3 to 5 years old. This appears to be most
common in areas where food is scarce. In some of these areas, females
may skip one to three years before producing new litters.
Bear populations vary depending on the
productivity of the environment. In areas of low productivity, such as
on Alaska’s North Slope, studies have revealed bear densities as low
as one bear per 300 square miles. In areas teeming with easily
available food, such as Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska,
densities as high as one bear per square mile have been found. In
central Alaska, both north and south of the Alaska Range, bear
densities tend to be intermediate, about one bear per 15-23 square
miles. These are average figures which shouldn’t be interpreted to
mean that each bear has this much territory for its exclusive use. The
area occupied by any individual bear may overlap that used by many
other individuals.
Safety: All brown bears should be
treated with respect and can be safely observed only from a distance
of at least 100 yards. This is especially true for family groups of a
female and her offspring as mother bears are very protective towards
their young. Bears protecting a food source, such as the buried
carcass of a moose or caribou, should also be treated with special
caution. In bear country, campers can best avoid conflicts with bears
if they minimize food odors, store their food out of a bear’s reach
and away from their camp, and avoid camping on bear travel routes.
Food habits: Like humans, brown bears
consume a wide variety of foods. Common foods include berries,
grasses, sedges, horsetails, cow parsnips, fish, ground squirrels, and
roots of many kinds of plants. In some parts of Alaska, brown bears
have been shown to be capable predators of newborn moose and caribou.
They can also kill and consume healthy adults of these species and
domestic animals. Bears are fond of all types of carrion as well as
garbage in human dumps.
Except for females with offspring and
breeding animals, bears are typically solitary creatures and avoid the
company of other bears. Exceptions to this occur where food sources
are concentrated such as streams where bears can catch salmon swimming
upstream to spawn. At McNeil River Falls, the largest concentration of
brown bears occurs annually. Biologists have observed more than 60
bears at one time, attracted by spawning salmon.
Winter dormancy: In the winter when
food is unavailable or scarce, most Alaska brown bears enter dens and
hibernate through the winter. While in this state, their body
temperatures, heart rate, and other metabolic rates are reduced. Their
need for food and water is eliminated. In northern areas with long
hard winters, bears may spend from 5 to 7 ½ months in dens. In areas
with relatively warmer winters, such as Kodiak Island, a few bears may
stay active all winter. Pregnant females are usually the first to
enter dens in the fall. These females, with their newborn cubs, are
the last to exit dens. Adult males, on the other hand, appear to enter
dens later and emerge earlier than most other bears.
Hunting: Bear hunting is popular in
Alaska and, with proper management, can occur without causing
populations to decline. Bear hunting seasons are held in both spring
and fall in some areas but only in fall in other areas. Cubs and
females with offspring may not be killed. Bear meat should be
thoroughly cooked to prevent contracting
trichinosis, a
parasitic disease that may be fatal to man.
Hunters should examine bears closely with
binoculars before shooting to determine if the pelt has spots where
the hair has been rubbed away. Such rubbed spots result in a poorer
quality hide. A little extra time spent observing a bear before
shooting may also prevent the hunter from taking a female that has
cubs hidden nearby. An excellent guide to judging trophy brown bears
and distinguishing between sexes of bears is the Take a Closer Look
video which is available for viewing at most Alaska Department of Fish
and Game offices.
Research and conservation: Because
Alaska contains over 98 percent of the United States population of
brown bears, and more than 70 percent of the North American
population, it has a special responsibility for this large carnivore.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is responsible for managing
bears in Alaska and for ensuring that management is based on
scientific knowledge of the biology of bear populations. Important
components of this management effort include maintaining healthy
populations of bears throughout Alaska, preservation of bear habitat,
prevention of over harvest, and conducting the studies necessary to
understand population requirements. As Alaska continues to develop, it
is increasingly important for the public to recognize that maintaining
sufficient amounts of habitat for brown bears to continue to thrive in
Alaska will mean forgoing opportunities for some kinds of economic
development in some places.