This powerful beautiful animal is admirable with all its appearance. In ancient times, people worshiped him. His image can be seen on the sarcophagi of ancient tombs and the walls of caves of primitive people. As a heraldic symbol, this animal has always denoted strength and endurance. Among the people, he was nicknamed respectfully - "moose" - by the similarity of the shape of the horns with the agricultural tool plow.
The official name is “moose”, from the Old Slavonic “ols”, given to the animal by the red color of the coat of its cubs. In the old days, the peoples of Siberia called the elk simply - "the beast." The North American Apache Indians have a legend about the insidious moose, and the Canadian Indians have a noble one. In Vyborg, a monument to an elk is erected, which, at the cost of his life, saved lost hunters from a pack of wolves.
Moose description
Elk is an animal mammal, belongs to the order of artiodactyls, the suborder of ruminants, the deer family and the elk genus. The exact number of elk subspecies has not yet been established. It varies from 4 to 8. The largest of them are the Alaskan and Eastern European subspecies, the smallest is the Ussuri subspecies, which has antlers that are not characteristic of an elk, without “blades”.
Appearance
In the deer family, the elk is the largest animal. The height at the withers can reach 2.35 m, the body length can reach up to three meters, and the weight can reach 600 kg or more. Male moose are always much larger than females.
In addition to size, a number of other factors distinguish an elk from other representatives of the deer family:
- physique: the torso is shorter, and the legs are longer;
- the shape of the horns: horizontal, not vertical like a deer;
- has withers resembling a hump;
- the head is very large with a characteristic "humped nose" and a fleshy upper lip;
- under the throat of the male elk there is a soft leathery outgrowth, up to 40 cm long, called the "earring".
Because of the long legs, the moose has to either go deep into the water or kneel to get drunk. The elk's coat is hard to the touch, but has a soft thick undercoat that warms the animal in cold weather. By winter, the wool grows 10 cm in length. The longest coat of the elk is on the withers and neck, which outwardly makes it look like a mane and creates a feeling of the presence of a hump on the body of the animal. Coat color - with a transition from black (in the upper part of the body) to brown (in the lower part) and whitish - to the legs. Moose are darker in summer than in winter.
Elk - the owner of the largest horns among mammals. The weight of the horns can reach 30 kg and have a span of 1.8 m. Only males can boast of this decoration on their heads. Moose females are always hornless.
Every year - at the end of autumn - the elk sheds its antlers, walks without them until spring, and then grows new ones. The older the moose, the more powerful its horns, the wider their "shovel" and the shorter the processes.
It is interesting! Horns fall off due to a decrease in the amount of sex hormones in the blood of an elk after the end of the mating season. Hormonal changes lead to a softening of the bone substance at the point of attachment of the horns to the skull. The discarded antlers contain a lot of protein and are food for rodents and birds.
Moose calves acquire small horns by the year. Initially, they are soft, covered with thin skin and velvety fur, which makes them vulnerable to injuries and insect bites, causing significant discomfort to the animal. Such torment lasts for two months, after which the calf's horns become hard, and the blood supply to them stops.
The process of shedding the horns does not cause pain to the animal, but rather a relief. In winter, at the end of the mating season, the moose do not need them, they only complicate movement in the snow with extra weight on their heads.
Lifestyle
Moose lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, preferring to stay in one place if the conditions are comfortable and there is enough food. Winter with a thick layer of snow and lack of food make them set off.
Moose do not like deep snow, they are looking for wintering places where the snow cover does not exceed half a meter. First, females with moose calves go on the road, males follow them. They return from the winter hut in the spring, when the snow begins to melt, in the reverse order - the procession is led by males and childless females.
Moose can travel up to 15 km per day. By the way, they run well, reaching speeds up to 55 km per hour.
Moose are not herd animals. They live separately, one by one or 3-4 individuals. They gather in small groups only for the winter quarters and, with the onset of spring, disperse again in different directions. Moose gathering places for the winter quarters are called “camps” in Russia, and “yards” in Canada. Sometimes up to 100 moose gather in one camp.
Moose activity depends on the time of year, more specifically, temperature. environment. V summer heat moose are inactive during the day, hiding from the heat and midges in the water, in ventilated forest glades, in the shade of dense thickets. They come out to feed when the heat subsides - at night.
In winter, on the contrary, moose feed during the day, and at night, to keep warm, they lie down in the snow, like a bear in a den, plunging into it almost completely. Only ears and withers stick out. If the body temperature of an elk drops to 30 degrees, the animal will die from hypothermia.
Only during the rutting season, moose are active, regardless of the time of day and temperature.
It is interesting! An elk's body temperature from running fast in the heat can rise to 40 degrees and lead to heatstroke. The reason for this is a special natural repellent that is produced by a moose instead of ordinary sweat - the so-called "fat".
It protects the animal from the bites of blood-sucking insects, saves in the cold, but also plays a cruel joke when it is very hot. Zhiropot, clogging the pores of the skin, preventing the body from cooling quickly.
Moose have excellent hearing and poor vision.. How well developed the moose's hearing and sense of smell are, so weak is their vision. An elk is not able to distinguish a motionless figure of a person from a distance of 20 meters
Moose are excellent swimmers. These animals love water. They need it both as a rescue from midges and as a source of food. An elk is able to swim up to 20 km and can stay under water for more than a minute.
Moose are non-conflict animals. The level of their aggression rises only during the rut. Only then does the moose use its horns for its intended purpose, fighting with a rival for a female. In other cases, when attacked by a wolf or a bear, the elk defends itself with its front legs. The first moose does not attack and, if there is an opportunity to escape, runs away.
Lifespan
Nature has prepared a solid life span for the elk - 25 years. But under natural conditions, this peaceful giant rarely lives up to 12 years. This is due to predators - wolves and bears, diseases and a person who uses an elk for his fishing purposes. Elk hunting is allowed from October to January.
Range, habitats
The total number of elk in the world is close to one and a half million. More than half of them live in Russia. The rest live in Eastern and Northern Europe - in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway.
It is interesting! Europe exterminated its moose in the 18th and 19th centuries. It caught on only in the last century, starting to carry out active protective measures for the surviving single specimens, exterminating wolves, rejuvenating forest plantations. The moose population has been restored.
There are moose in the north of Mongolia, northeast China, the USA, Alaska and Canada. For habitats, the elk chooses birch and pine forests, willow and aspen forests along the banks of rivers and lakes, although it can live both in the tundra and in the steppe. But, nevertheless, preference is given to mixed forests with dense undergrowth.
Moose diet
Moose menu is seasonal. In summer, these are the leaves of shrubs and trees, aquatic plants and grasses. Preference is given to mountain ash, aspen, maple, birch, willow, bird cherry, water capsules, water lilies, horsetail, sedge, willow-herb, sorrel, tall umbrella grasses. Moose cannot nibble on small grass. Do not allow a short neck and long legs. By the end of summer, mushrooms, blueberry and lingonberry bushes, along with berries, enter the diet of the elk. In autumn it comes down to bark, moss, lichens and leaf litter. By winter, the elk moves to branches and shoots - wild raspberries, mountain ash, fir, pine, willow.
It is interesting! The summer daily diet of an elk is 30 kg of plant food, the winter one is 15 kg. In winter, moose drink little and do not eat snow, keeping their body heat.
So that you can figure out which piece to order on the site and how much each costs, we suggest taking a look at the scheme for cutting an elk carcass.
Moose, like all members of the deer family, drag out a rather difficult existence. As a result, they hardly accumulate fat - they taste far from the marbled meat of spoiled cattle that we are used to. Elk is tougher than beef, so it will take longer to process and cook.
1. Neck (weighs about 70 kilograms). Moose from the cervical region is ideal for cooking soup or stewing. Also minced meat is made from it. Refers to the meat of the 2nd grade.
3. Brisket (weighs about 40 kilograms). The meat from this part is used for cooking fashionable the last time western pastrami dish. Cooking brisket of elk requires a long and slow stew. The pieces in front of and above it are usually carefully deboned and used to cook about 20 kilograms of minced meat. The brisket belongs to the meat of the 1st grade.
4.5. Ribs (weighs about 30 kilograms). After cleaning, they are suitable for cooking minced meat, they also make good soup. The ribs of young individuals can also be baked. Refers to meat 3 grades.
Due to the lack of fat, stewed or grilled elk ribs are quite tough, although they turn out tasty - therefore, some hunters and cooks prefer to clean the meat from the ribs and use it for minced meat.
6.7. Lower abdomen (about 25 kilograms). Elk from this part is used for cooking soups, stews, minced meat or flank steaks (if the elk is young). To give the meat tenderness, slow cooking over low heat is necessary. Belongs to meat of 2 grades.
8. Hind leg (weighs about 70 kilograms). The meat from the hind leg is universal - good steaks are obtained (marinate before cooking), steaks, it can be fried, stewed and even salted. It can be a little harsh, but the taste is very rich. Belongs to grade 1.
9. The lower part of the legs or shank (weighs about 9 kilograms). Used for soups, osso buco (and similar slow stew dishes), as well as for jelly. The meat is lean and firm. Belongs to the 3rd grade.
10. As well as in cows, elk are least likely to use (and therefore are the softest and most tender) back muscles, especially closer to the hind legs. This selected meat is called tenderloin - usually it is not boiled, but fried or stewed.
The middle part of the back (weighs about 30 kilograms). From it you can cook delicious tee-bone steaks and porterhouse. The meat is very tender. Heat up the grill! Belongs to grade 1.
The lumbar part of the back (weighs about 25 kilograms). It is used for cooking selected sirloin steaks. The meat here is lean, but soft. Some people like to boil and stew it. Belongs to grade 1.
Separately it is worth mentioning the organs of the moose eaten:
Language. A real delicacy that is suitable for preparing many dishes. Or you can just boil them, put them on bread and butter and eat them in the form of ordinary sandwiches - it's very tasty!
Heart, liver and kidneys. Most hunters love them. Eating a fried heart with the liver of a defeated elk is a kind of tradition for them.
Testicles. Just remove the skin from the testicles - and you get two pieces of soft white meat. The size depends on the age of the animal. Cooking is simple: you need to cut each across, roll in flour and fry.
Elk is the largest member of the deer family. The habitat of the animal extends throughout Europe, it lives in North America and the central strip of Russia, it is found on Far East. Animals differ in body size and horns depending on the area where they live.
Kamchatka elk
From the deer family they live on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The weight of an adult elk on average reaches 800 kilograms in males, and females weigh about 400 kilograms.
Animals manage to achieve such gigantic sizes thanks to the varied and plentiful amount of food that is available even in winter. Some scientists are of the opinion that these animals grow to gigantic sizes thanks to an umbrella plant that grows in Kamchatka and provokes the production of growth hormone in animals.
An interesting fact is that moose were brought to Kamchatka only in the 80s of the century before last as an experiment. They were brought from the Anadyr basin.
A genetic connection has been established between animals living in Kamchatka and Alaska, but our moose are still the leaders in size. Average weight of an elk North America does not exceed 600 kilograms.
Moose living in Kamchatka still live in the Middle and Upper Kolyma, Anadyr and Indigirka, so they are also called the Chukchi or Kolyma species.
European look
These are medium sized animals. The average weight of an elk in the middle lane does not exceed 500 kilograms (males).
The beast lives in the Urals and in Western Siberia, in Altai. Also on the territory of the republics former USSR: in Ukraine, in Belarus, in the Baltic states. In Europe, it is found in the Czech Republic, Poland and Scandinavia.
At the same time, artiodactyls living in Western Siberia are much larger than their relatives living in the European part.
For example, the body length of the European moose species does not exceed 250 centimeters, and individuals living in Siberia reach 270 centimeters or more with a maximum height at the withers of 185 centimeters.
Accordingly, the average weight of an elk in Russia reaches 480-500 kilograms, and animals living in Europe barely reach 400 kilograms.
caucasian view
It is believed that this species was completely exterminated at the turn of the two centuries - XIX-XX. However, the population in the Caucasus began to increase due to the migration of artiodactyls from other regions. Since 1976, moose have been found in the south of the Stavropol Territory, in the Krasnodar Territory and in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. These are medium-sized individuals, very similar to the European species. The average weight of an elk is no more than 500 kilograms.
Ussuri view
This small animal is perhaps the smallest among all types of moose. The legs of artiodactyls are much shorter than those of other species, the body is thin, with a light color. The muzzle is large. The weight of an adult elk does not exceed 200 kilograms. The height at the withers in males is from 170 to 195 centimeters.
In this species, the horns do not form a shovel and are more like the outer diameter of the horns can reach 100 centimeters and weigh up to 8 kilograms.
Ussuri elk living in Primorye can be somewhat larger, weighing about 400 kilograms. The average weight of an elk living in Manchuria does not exceed 300 kilograms. The most typical representatives of the species include animals that live in the Sikhote-Alin.
How long do moose live?
These artiodactyls have a rather short life, they begin to age by the age of 12. According to scientists, in the world only 3% of the entire population of moose are older than 10 years. The average life span is 12-15 years.
In captivity, artiodactyls live longer, there were even cases when individuals lived up to 22 years.
Diet
In the forest-tundra, animals prefer aspen and birch forests; in the steppes, they can move away from forests. For a quality life, moose need swamps and lakes, where they can escape the heat and nibble on aquatic vegetation.
In winter, artiodactyls need coniferous and mixed plantings, where there is a dense undergrowth.
Animals do not have a specific time for food, if it is hot, then they transfer dinner to the night, and in severe frosts they hide in the snow.
Artiodactyls prefer tree and shrub vegetation, use herbs. They are very fond of aquatic and near-water grasses, horsetails, marigold, water lilies, watch. Sorrel and fireweed are used in cutting areas.
At the end of the summer season, do not mind pampering yourself with mushrooms, including even fly agarics. They eat branches and fruits of cranberries and blueberries. In winter, sprigs of pine and willow, mountain ash, birch and fir are used. In the spring, when it is very difficult to feed, they eat the bark of trees.
Large males can eat about 35 kilograms of vegetation per day, and in winter - up to 15 kilograms of branches.
Almost all representatives of the species visit salt licks. If there are none nearby, they can go out onto the track and lick the salt off the road.
reproduction
Moose rarely create harems for themselves, as a rule. However, if there is enough food, then there may be several females in one elk.
When the male's excitement reaches its maximum, he can destroy everything in his path. As soon as the moose notices the female, he pursues her, driving away the young males along the way. If there are more males than females nearby, then males can engage in terrible battles.
The female can bring offspring in the 2nd or 3rd year of age. Pregnancy does not exceed 240 days. Children appear in early June. If there are two babies in the litter, then most likely one of them will die. Confidence in the legs appears a week after birth. At birth, depending on the species, the baby weighs from 6 to 16 kilograms. They feed on mother's milk for about 4 months.
Home pride
The most important trophy for any hunter is the elk horns, which confirm the courage and dexterity of the person who killed the animal.
In the Kamchatka species, with an average weight of an elk of 800 kilograms, the weight of the antlers can reach 40 kilograms in the largest males. On average, the weight varies from 29 to 33 kilograms.
In shape, the horns resemble a plow with multiple processes (about 18). The growth rate is very high - about 30 centimeters per day. It is because of the shape of the horns that moose are also called elks.
The European elk has slightly smaller antlers, and their weight does not exceed 20 kilograms, and in scope they can be up to 135 centimeters.
The largest horns
Until 2015, the trophy of Bering Kennet, who hunted in Kamchatka in 1993, was considered the largest elk antlers.
Horn options:
- 171.5 centimeters in span;
- 127.6 centimeters - the length of one horn;
- on the left side - 13 processes;
- on the right side - 18 processes;
- the width of the left horn (in the rise) - 43.8 centimeters;
- the width of the right horn (in the rise) is 44.9 centimeters.
However, in 2015, Aishparas Arunas, a Lithuanian hunter, caught a larger elk, whose antlers weighed 50 kilograms and were 178 centimeters in diameter.
Moose are good swimmers and runners. When running, the speed can reach 56 kilometers per hour.
The bear does not even dare to attack these mammals.
Moose have very poor eyesight, they cannot distinguish objects at a distance of 10 meters. However, they have excellent hearing and sense of smell. They can attack a person only if he behaves aggressively.
The elk has occupied a special position in human culture since ancient times. He was considered the master of the forest, and some nations even worshiped him.
It is currently a commercial mammal. The moose hunting season opens every year, which attracts many hunters.
Habitat
The total population of moose is more than 1.5 million individuals. Most of of them live in Russia. Also, a large number of animals live in Eastern and Western Europe.
In the period from the 18th to the 19th century, the population here was completely exterminated, but later it was restored thanks to conservation measures, such as:
- Hunting ban;
- Forest rejuvenation;
- Regulation of the number of natural predators. For moose, the most dangerous are wolves.
Elk also lives in Mongolia and northeastern China. On the American Continent, moose settled in Alaska, as well as northern and eastern regions USA.
Moose love the most mixed forests rarely live in open spaces. They can often be found in birch and pine forests. Often animals choose places near lakes or rivers.
This is especially true in the summer, because you need to escape from the heat. In winter, moose move to coniferous forests, but try to avoid deep snowdrifts. They can stay in one place if the snow depth does not exceed 0.5 meters.
During this period, it is quite difficult to determine where the elk lives, since the herd can start moving from the end of autumn and return back only with the onset of heat. They can walk about 15 km per day.
It is interesting that the females with moose calves are the first to leave the "camp" and only then the males follow them.
Physiological features
Moose are very large mammals. Their weight reaches 6 hundred kilograms, with a body length of up to 3 meters and growth of up to 2.5 meters. However, males have such parameters, females are much smaller.
Males have very large horns, they can weigh up to 30 kg, and their width can be about 2 meters. Every autumn, the antlers are shed and during the cold season they grow back.
In addition, the number of branches on the horns indicates the age of the animal. In various photos, moose do not look like other deer. This applies in particular to males - they are much larger and more powerful.
Despite the fact that female moose do not look as presentable as males, they are quite popular with the opposite sex. Females have long legs, a hunched back, and a large upper lip.
The animal has excellent hearing and sense of smell, due to which the elk feels great in the forest, but they have poor eyesight. Yes, they may not notice. immovable object from a distance of 25 meters. Animals swim quite well, so they are saved from heat, midges and hunger.
Moose are not in conflict, if there is an opportunity to escape, they will not fight.
However, during a fight, they will wield not with horns, but with their front paws. Despite the fact that the animal has a large mass, its blows are very strong.
What do moose eat?
The main diet of moose is vegetation. These are mainly mosses, fungi and lichens. In pictures with moose, you can never see how the animal eats grass. They simply cannot reach it because of their high stature and short neck. Also, animals are not averse to profiting from leaves from different trees and shrubs.
Moose "gnaw" the foliage from the branches, holding them with their large lips. They can also feed on aquatic plants by dipping their heads into a pond.
In autumn, when the leaves fall, the moose eat the bark of the trees. V summer period they can eat very densely, eating about 30 kg of food per day, in winter this figure drops by half.
For a year they can eat up to 7 tons of vegetation. They also need salt for their food, they can lick it off the roads or come to the salt licks that the rangers make for them.
How long do moose live?
Under favorable conditions, the life span of moose is about 25 years. However, in the harsh conditions of nature, they live no more than 10-12 years.
This is due to the heavy weather and predators that can exterminate sick, old and very young animals. A person also has a hand in the destruction of the elk.
Being a game animal, the hunting season for it opens in October and ends in January. Elk meat is used in cooking, it has unique qualities and is very expensive.
Their skin and horns can also be of great value. However, moose are not bred in agriculture because it is too costly.
Moose photo
According to observations of moose calves born in captivity, in the first 10-15 minutes they can already stand on their feet, but soon fall; wool and umbilical cord are wet on the first day. On the second day, the calf moves better, although the legs still wobble and sometimes move apart. From the third day he walks freely, on the fifth day it is difficult to catch up with him, on the tenth day he does not lag behind his mother, and at the age of two weeks he already swims well. V natural conditions the calf, at least for a week, stays more or less in one place. When the female leaves to feed or runs away if a person appears, the calf lies down, hiding in the grass or bushes; The moose cow does not try to protect the calf from the human.
Lactation lasts 3.5-4 months, i.e., approximately until the rut. Some females, apparently mostly not participating in the rut, continue to lactate in November-December and even later. A moose cow killed in the area of the Pechoro-Ilychsky reserve at the end of December was milked with 200 g of milk. The elk that was with her weighed 43 kg more than the largest on the moose farm. On the moose farm of the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, the moose cow gives 150-200 liters of milk per lactation with a maximum daily milk yield of up to 2 and even 3 liters (June - early July); at the beginning and end of lactation, daily milk yields are the least. The fat content of milk in May - June is 8-10 and up to 13%. Compared to cow's milk, moose milk contains 2.4 times more fat and ash substances, 5 times more proteins, but 1.6 times less lactose. The calf starts eating green food at about two weeks of age or a few days later; in captivity, moose calves try to suckle green leaves at the age of 2-3 days. A calf weaned from its mother at the age of 1.5 months and subsequently fed on one green fodder develops more or less normally, keeping up with other calves in growth.
Observations of 56 moose calves raised in the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve and Buzuluksky Bor showed that in newborns, the weight ranged from 6-14 kg for females and 8-16 kg for males. A calf from a pair litter, as a rule, had a weight of no more than 10 kg. Moose calves weighing 6-9 kg were usually very weak and subsequently often died. From other parts of the range, data on the weight of newborn elk calves are based on single weighings (Lapland Reserve, Serpukhov hunting farm, Demyanka, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk region), and they are completely within the indicated limits. There are no data on the weight of newborn elk calves of the largest elk in the USSR from North-Eastern Siberia. In Scandinavia, the usual weight of newborn elk calves is 10-16 kg, sometimes 6 kg in twins.
Moose calves gain weight very quickly and in 6 months their weight increases by about 10 times, reaching an average of 120-130 kg, and for the most developed 160 and even 206 kg. During the first 1-1.5 months of life, while milk predominates in the diet, the calf gains weight relatively less than in the next two months, when it begins to eat in in large numbers green fodder. In July, the average daily weight gain in Pechora and Buzuluk elk calves is close to 2 kg. In the American elk, the average daily weight gain of calves for the first month of life is 450-900 g, for the second - 1300-2250 g.
Since autumn, weight gain slows down, and by the beginning of winter, when calves completely switch to tree food, it slows down even more (southern parts of the range) or completely stops. In the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, the weight of moose calves remains unchanged from the beginning of winter until the end of the camping period and spring molting, and even decreases in the case of a snowy and long winter. Thus, a calf at the age of about a year weighs the same here as at 6 months, and sometimes even less. Only in those moose calves that did not participate in the rut and continue to lactate in winter, which is rare, elk calves, at least at the beginning of winter, can gain weight in the north.
The height at the withers of a newborn calf is 70-90 cm, at 2 months 105-110, at 4 months - 125-130, in winter in the first year up to 135, in the second up to 155 cm. Adults have 160-216 cm at the withers, more often about 175 see. On the moose farm of the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, moose calves usually did not increase in growth after October until spring, and the winter-spring stabilization in the burrow was even more pronounced than in relation to weight. Moose calves of the Yakut Experimental Station at the age of 1 month had a withers height: male 107 cm, female 105, at 3 months 120 and 117 cm, respectively, at 6 months 139 and 132 cm, at 9 months 146 and 145 cm, at 12 months (female) 151 cm. The growth of these calves and weight gain continued in the winter.
In the second summer of life, the elk continues to noticeably gain weight, and under especially favorable conditions (cool, rainy summer, a small amount of midges), the gain over the summer can be 150 kg or more, so that by 1.5 years its weight often doubles; some moose can reach a weight of 350 kg. The relative weight gain in elk is always the largest in the first year of life, and the absolute weight gain, depending on the meteorological conditions of summer, may be the largest in the first or second year of life. In the third year, the weight gain of the elk slows down, and in the fourth year the animals reach full physical development. In the future, the weight of an adult elk undergoes only more or less regular annual seasonal changes, and their amplitude reaches 80 kg or more, amounting to 20-25% of the maximum weight of the animal for a given year. Moose have the greatest weight in late August - early September, the smallest in late April - early May. During the rut, males lose up to 17% of their initial weight, and over the subsequent winter, 3-5 times less. In moose cows, weight loss during the cold season is more gradual; during the rut, by November, they lose no more than 5% of their original weight.
Observations in Sweden have shown that moose cows do not gain weight after 4-5 years, while males usually reach their maximum weight not earlier than 10 years.
Within the same age group, the variability in weight is exceptionally large, as a result of which animals sometimes have the same weight completely. different ages: with a weight of about 275 kg, males aged 1.5-3.5 years were noted; up to 300 kg weighed both one and a half year old moose cows and animals aged 2.5 and 3.5 years.
Data on the weight of moose in Siberia and the Far East are fragmentary and almost completely fit within the indicated limits of variability in the weight of moose in the European part of the range. The largest known weight for the Siberian elk (male) is 655 kg (Yenisei basin), for the European - 619 kg. One male out of more than a hundred moose killed in 1903-1912 had a weight of 619 kg. in b. Petersburg province; all other animals weighed no more than 477 kg. The weight of the largest bull in Buzuluksky Bor is 563 kg, in the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve it is up to about 500 kg, usually the weight of adult elks here ranges from 300-450 kg.
Where moose are hunted intensively, large animals are not found at all, since most are hunted in the very first years of life. Of the more than a hundred moose caught in the winter in southern Karelia, not one weighed more than 311 kg. Maximum weight male, obtained in the basin of the river. Demyanki, was 422 kg, females - 370 kg. The usual weight of moose in Eastern Siberia is 320-400 kg and very rarely (males) up to 480 kg. 11 moose caught in the Amur region weighed 260-320 kg. The male, caught at the end of September in the Sikhote-Alin, weighed 400 kg, although the Ussuri elks are considered the smallest in the USSR. There are no exact data on the weight of the largest moose in the USSR - from North-Eastern Siberia; the weight of males in the prime of life here, apparently, often reaches or even exceeds 600 kg.
In 4-5-month-old elk calves, in the very first autumn, clearly visible cones develop under the skin, horns grow in the period from late April - early May to June inclusive, i.e. at the end of the first - beginning of the second years of life. Soft horns harden only at the end of July or in August, the skin on them gradually shrinks, dries up, and elks are freed from it, peeling off small trees with their horns. These horns are 20-28 cm long, sometimes up to 32 cm, and more often consist of spokes without processes, in very rare cases they are forked. Young moose shed their antlers after older moose, usually only in February - March, and sometimes in April. The second horns of an elk, which develop at the beginning of the third year of life, are forked. Horns with a well-defined shovel usually do not develop until the fifth year. In the future, under favorable conditions, the weight of the horns increases, the shovel becomes larger, and the number of processes increases. The weight of a pair of large horns can reach 15-20 kg, and according to some sources, even more.
In adult moose, the growth of new antlers in the southern parts of the range begins in April, in the north usually only in May. Horns reach full development at the end of June - the first half of July (in the southern parts of the range, often in June). Thus, their growth continues for 2-2.5 months. While the horns are soft, they are very sensitive to bumps and insect bites. The hardening of the horns occurs in July; the very ends of the horns remain soft for the longest time, having the appearance of rounded nodules and only then sharpening. By the end of August - beginning of September, the horns are cleared of skin, but on the Kola Peninsula this process occurs only from the end of August to the middle of September. By the beginning of the rut, adult elks are always cleaned. In the Sikhote-Alin, young moose with remnants of skin on their horns were found as early as September 17, while in some years old moose were already cleaned on August 26 in some years.
Adult moose shed their antlers from November (rarely from the second half of October) to December, sometimes capturing the beginning of January as well. On the Kola Peninsula and in Yakutia, moose shed their antlers mostly in December. Moose shed their antlers in the third year in January - February. In old moose, the shovels become smaller and lighter, and the number of processes is often reduced. Under unfavorable conditions, the horns degrade even in those animals that are no more than 6-8 years old.
Moose are born with well-developed milk incisors and erupting premolars. The formation of permanent incisors in our moose ends at about 18 months of age. In the moose, the first root begins to erupt at the age of 10-14 weeks (the mandibular is somewhat earlier than the maxillary), at 4-6 months it is fully functional, and at 6-8 months the second one begins to erupt. At 13-16 months, moose usually lose all milk premolars, at 16-19 months the formation of molars ends.
Young moose calves have a reddish coat color, which differs sharply from the grayish-brown color of adult moose; their legs are not lighter than their torso. The change of juvenile attire occurs from the beginning of August (slightly later in the north). By the middle or end of September, the young get the hairline of an adult elk; the legs at the same time brighten, and the color of the body becomes dark brown. In the Lapland Reserve, moose calves molt in September, but, as a rarity, young ones in juvenile fur were found even in November.
Data on the molting of adult moose under natural conditions are very scarce; one of the reasons for this is the great similarity between the summer and winter fur colors; the former is only slightly darker than in winter. Moose molt once a year - in spring. By March, winter fur noticeably wears out, loses its luster. The awn begins to fall out in late March - early April, and the undercoat in the second half of April. Molting begins with the head and legs, the last to shed the back. Moose molt especially intensively in May - June, females who have given birth to calves - in June and the first half of July. In the northern parts of the range, molting is two weeks late compared to more southern areas. Males and barren females are the first to molt, the last are females who have brought calves, as well as emaciated and sick animals. In Sikhote-Alin, adult males molt in early July or earlier, and females only by August. Normally well-fed male and female, killed in the basin of the river. Demyanki molted completely on July 16-20, while the nursing and very exhausted female retained the remnants of winter wool even on July 25.
Moose, especially young ones, are hard to bear. At this time, body weight drops abruptly, at other times it remains stable, but weight gain is delayed. Some young, who have endured a difficult winter, lose up to 30 kg in weight during the spring molt.
In the second half of July - August, moose walk in short summer fur, which has a shine; the hair on the belly is very rare. The skin is a little thinner than in winter. In August, the undercoat begins to grow, and the awn lengthens. During October or a little earlier, the moose puts on a winter outfit.
The heyday of the elk is at the age of 6-12 years. Among our zoologists, it is widely believed that an elk lives no longer than 20 years. However, a male elk, tagged in Sweden with a calf and then released, was recaptured at the age of 20 years. He was quite viable and had horns at 11 and 12 ends. At the Stockholm Zoo, a moose cow calved at the age of 21, but the calf was not viable. Judging from these data, the potential lifespan of an elk is more than 20 years, and possibly more than 25 years, as Cherkasov (1884) assumed in his time. However, the vast majority of moose die much earlier. In the elk population of the Lapland Reserve, no more than 3% of all animals were older than 10 years.
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