Moose - Strange Looking for Good Reasons

The moose is a strange-looking creature, but the design of the moose is specially suited for living in northern climates.

The moose's large body helps the animal retain body heat. The long, cold winters are very stressful and larger creatures don't have to eat as frequently as small creatures. Larger body mass helps a creature fight the cold by allowing less heat loss in extreme cold.

Moose hair is hollow. This makes it a great insulator against the northland's cold weather. Hollow hair also helps the moose float better when swimming. Sleeping bags are packed with synthetic hollow fibers to keep sleepers warm at night.

The moose's long legs allow the animal to walk in deep snow and wade in shallow ponds and wetter areas. An extreme amount of energy is need to wade through deep snow, and longer legs keep the animal's body out of the snow.

The moose has a four-chambered stomach. The stomach specializes in digesting different food items at different times of the year. The moose prefers woody bushes such as the willow, but the chemistry of the moose's stomach changes to allow easier digestion of green leaf vegetables in the summer. (Watch out gardens!)

The moose's teeth are designed for eating plant materials and for browsing on bushes and small trees. They look like giant molars with a maze of ridges. A moose has 32 teeth: six incisors, 2 canine teeth, 12 premolars and 12 molars.

The moose's sense of smell is its most highly developed sense. Predators' and enemies' scent can be detected long before being seen or heard.

The moose's tall body allows it to reach 6-8 feet above the ground in order to eat the most tender parts of the willow. The moose develops a browse line about 5-6 feet off the ground in its favorite feeding areas.

The dewlap is a piece of skin hanging from the neck. It is sometimes used to spread scent in mating rituals. The male (bull) dewlap is generally larger than female's (cow).

A moose has 27 pairs of chromosomes. (A human has 23 pairs.)