Wild Fact #972 – This Post is a Moose Read!
The author of one of my favourite websites (Lee’s Photoblog) posted a question on his site yesterday debating between the reason that moose breed around this time every year. This question really got me thinking, so why exactly does the moose go into estrus at this time every year? Could it be the temperature that dictates the rut? Could it be the amount of light? Are there other survival mechanisms at work here?
First, a little bit about the moose life cycle. Around September to October, moose will begin courting and eventually start mating. The cow moose will deliver one or two (rarely three) calves around May or June. Although, the calves look small and disoriented when they are first born they will grow very quickly. The health of the moose population along with the availability of food will dictate the number of offspring possible. Mating will take a lot out of the moose so it is very important that they have all summer to feed and become healthy. The cow moose needs to be able to nourish herself as well as the calf growing inside of her throughout the winter.
So, why do moose mate around this time every year? Interestingly enough, no matter where moose tend to reside in North America they all go into estrus around September/ October. Studies have shown that it doesn’t matter if the moose lives in Northern USA or Northern Canada they will still go into estrus around the same time. This tells me that temperature is not the driving factor for the moose rut otherwise moose would rut earlier in the northern latitudes and later in the southern latitudes. Although, temperature doesn’t drive the rut, weather, however, does play a part in the exact timing and intensity of the rut. For example, moose will be more active at night during warm weather so this allows for additional activity. As well, I have not found any evidence that the amount of daylight will impact estrus patterns in moose. Again, if this were the case then moose would rut at different times throughout their range. So by now you are probably yelling profanities at the computer screen telling me to hurry up and get to the point already! All right, my theory is this, moose have evolved to go into estrus around September and October because it allows them ample time throughout the summer to be healthy enough for them to make it through the winter. Secondly, this allows the calves to be born in May/June which in turn gives them plenty of time to forage and become strong enough for the harsh winter months. Studies have shown that moose born later in the spring have higher mortality rates then their counterparts born earlier. This evidence supports my theory of a lower moose mortality rate by mating in September/October.
I understand that this is a longer Wild Fact so thank you for sticking it out and reading the whole post (provided you didn’t just skip to this part!). Have a great day everyone!
References
Bowyer, R., V. Van Ballenberghe, J. Kie. 2003. Moose: Alces alces. Pp. 931-964 in G. Feldhamer, B. Thompson, J. Chapman, eds. Wild mammals of North America: Biology, management and conservation. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
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September 30th, 2009 at 4:54 AM
This fact does make me feel much better. It has been discussed several times by many people. I myself have been convinced the rut was driven by some internal calendar, not temperature as some think. Thank you very much for the informative article. Take care
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Hi Lee!
Thanks for the inspiration for today’s fact. I am glad I was able to shed some light on the whole situation. I definitely agree with you that it is more of an internal calendar that drives the rut then external factors.
Thanks for reading!
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September 30th, 2009 at 7:00 AM
Great post Nathan. In case your wondering – I read the whole thing!
Thank you for mentioning Lee’s website, he is an incredible photographer.
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
It is definitely my pleasure to promote Lee’s Photoblog. I really enjoy his work and I figured many of my reader’s would as well.
Thanks for reading the entire post. I am impressed!!
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September 30th, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Very insightful and informative.
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Thanks Meam!
Glad to see you are still coming back for more Wild Facts. I hope everything is going well with you!
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September 30th, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Loved the picture. The moose looks like he’s smiling, maybe he’s enjoying the subject being discussed.
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:27 PM
hahaha! It certainly does look like he is enjoying today’s post.
I am glad you liked the funny picture!
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September 30th, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Well hello Nathan..just remember you set yourself up for this question.
A very good source tells me that white moose are protected? Is this all white moose or just the albino moose? I realize there is a difference between the two. I’m sure Linda and Larry would be interested in this reponse as well.
Good post!
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:27 PM
I should have known that you would bring up the infamous “White Moose”. As far as I know the white moose is only protected in Wildlife Management Units 30 and 31 in Northern Ontario. Is anyone else aware of hunting prohibitions on the white moose elsewhere in the world. This protection is for any moose that is more than 50% white and does not distinguish between an albino and a healthy white moose. As far as the difference between a white moose and an albino moose, well, I will discuss that in a future Wild Fact so you will have to wait for it!
Thanks for the question (even if it was just to get me riled up!)
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September 30th, 2009 at 2:59 PM
“This Post is a Moose Read!”
You should be charged with a moosedemeanor for bad puns.
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Nathan Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:19 PM
Wow! And I thought my puns were bad. Maybe I should hire you to write my titles for me!
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October 2nd, 2009 at 3:41 AM
is this photo real? or what is done with computer design software.
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Nathan Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:39 AM
That is a great question which I don’t really have an answer to. It sure looks fake with that big smile and all (and a little creepy as well). Unfortunately I did scavenge this photo off of the a free photo website on the internet so I can’t say for sure if it is fake or not.
Thanks for reading Wild Facts and for posting a question that I am sure all of us were thinking. Maybe I should try to track down the answer. If I find out, then I will definitely let you know.
Enjoy the weekend!
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February 16th, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Hi my friend Hailey showed me this website because our class is doing projects on animals. Is the moose really smilling?
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Nathan Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 7:08 PM
Hi Ryan and welcome to Wild Facts!
Hopefully you will find some useful information on here to help with your project. As I told Hailey, if you have any questions then feel free to ask away either through the comment section or through the contact form.
hahaha – The moose is indeed smiling but I am not fully convinced that it hasn’t been photo-shopped.
Best of luck with the project.
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February 16th, 2011 at 11:12 AM
How do owl’s turn there head 360 deggres
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Nathan Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 7:05 PM
Hi Ryan,
Great question!
Although, it is popular belief that an owl can turn their heads 360 degrees, this isn’t possible. They do in fact turn their head about 270 degrees which is more than halfway around.
They are able to do this since they have more bones in their neck which allows for more flexibility. For instance, humans have 7 bones in their neck, however, the owl has 14 bones which provides this extra flexibility.
The ability to turn their heads 270 degrees is important since the Owl is not able to move their eyes humans can. We can easily see things all around without actually moving our head. The owl isn’t able to do this so they have adapted the ability to turn their head halfway around in an attempt to catch any threats sneaking up on them.
Again, thanks for the great question and I hope this explanation helps.
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February 17th, 2011 at 6:57 AM
hi how come the beaver in the picture is holding a beer bottle i mean is’nt that a little wierd
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Nathan Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 6:43 PM
Hi Ryan,
hahaha – Yeah, that is a little weird. Granted most beavers don’t drink beer but I was trying to be funny that day.
For the record, the beaver with the beer is definitely photo-shopped.
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ryan Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 6:48 AM
@Nathan, ooohhhhh thats funny
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Hailey Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 6:09 AM
Wow Ryan