AND YOUR ANTLER IS?

This 1910 photograph must have been taken before the end of December
This is the moose photographed in Moorhead on 22 Sep 2008
Here is a picture of an old cow and her twins.

Old Trunks is prompted to talk about moose today. Why? Two different moose have been sited in the Fargo area. One on the south side, that decided to simple take a nap and another yesterday in Moorhead. Yesterday's moose was a big male with a beautiful rack. They are so magnificent. I told Shirley my wish for Christmas was to see one up close!








October is the height of the "rutting" season, when moose breed, and the animals can be quite unpredictable, territorial, and aggressive during this time. Perhaps the DNR have this considered when this bull came nearly into town.



Bull moose shed their antlers every year. And every year they grow a new set. Why is this, when bison and other horned ruminants don't grow horns every year?






The reason is that antlers are not like ruminant horns. Antlers are made of true bone, without a central core and a horny sheath, so antlers frequently break.





But what about those antlers that are replaced every year? Well, the antlers are used largely in displays and as weapons when the males fight for females, and breakages are common during the rut. A moose is provided a way to start each breeding season with a nice new set of undamaged antlers — by simply letting the moose grow new ones!





In every animal population, strategies have developed to help ensure the strongest individuals get the greatest opportunity to mate. While antler size has no bearing on the age of the individual, it IS a great indicator of the health of the animal. Antlers are renewed each year meaning the stags need to find a large source of calcium to supply the antler growth. With a diet of green vegetation, one might wonder where this secret source of calcium originates. The simple answer - from their own bones (primarily their rib cage). Since only the healthiest males will be able to afford such a large diversion of resources, an impressive set of antlers is also an impressive pedigree for parenthood.





Moose lose their antlers in late December. The rodents of the forests flock to the discarded antlers for the high calcium content.

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