Elk or elk (lat. Alces alces). Average weight of an elk. Description of the moose, dimensions, period of life, habitat and reproduction How long do moose live

Elk is a truly huge animal, therefore a particularly valuable object of hunting. The weight of the largest specimens can be in the region of half a ton, this is a large amount of tasty healthy meat. In addition, the elk skin was used for sewing various products, and the antlers were used for handicrafts. Even in principle to get such big beast- great pleasure. After all, this is a difficult task that experienced hunters who know the habits of animals well can handle.

Appearance

Elk is a mammal of the deer family, has a body length of up to three meters, a height at the withers of more than two meters, and a weight of 350-600 kg. Quite long legs with large hooves connected by movable membranes help to move through uneven terrain: swamps, windbreak. Hooves also serve to protect against predatory animals and other enemies. The blow of such a leg is very dangerous for a person.

It has powerful horns, which are expanded like a shovel, and are divided into parts at the ends. Young male horns are smaller, they increase with age and in an adult animal can reach a 20-kilogram weight. Antlers grow annually, starting in spring, and by winter the elk sheds them. The females do not have horns. Because of the resemblance to an agricultural tool with a plow, an elk is called a moose.

Compared to the long legs and large muzzle, the torso seems a little short, as does the neck. The chest is very wide. On the back there is something like a hump in the region of the nape, another hump-like outgrowth of cartilage adorns the muzzle. The eyes are small, dull, the ears are pointed, long and wide. He hears well, but sees worse.

The coat is long, dense, consists of a thin awn with a fluffy undercoat. There is a dark mane that descends from the back of the head to the neck and chest. The main coat color is reddish-brown, lighter in winter than in summer.

Moose nutrition

Moose lives almost throughout Russia, is found in the forest zone of Eurasia, North America. It lives in both deciduous and coniferous forests, preferring the former. Although he has more preferred places for each season, this is due to the food supply.

The elk diet contains more than 800 plant species. These are herbs, shrubs, shoots of conifers and deciduous trees, branches. For a year, one individual on average eats up to 5 tons of various feed. Favorite delicacies are shoots of willow, aspen, mountain ash, oak, pine. He loves birch, dandelions in the spring, as well as marsh reeds and reeds. The muzzle is equipped with long lips, which help to easily break branches. With his teeth, he deftly strips the bark from trees.

In addition to food, moose need a lot of water.

Autumn-winter migrations depend on the height of the snow cover. When it increases, moose move to less snowy places where it is easier to move around and forage. If the snow cover does not exceed half a meter in a given area, animals can lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The love of moose for water is known: they enjoy spending time in rivers and lakes, where they escape from midges and heat. Interestingly, moose can eat not only coastal vegetation, but also aquatic, diving after it and being under water for up to several minutes.

Moose lifestyle

Moose can be called lazy animals: they are rather inactive. If most animals spend a lot of time feeding, after which they go to rest, then the elk alternates all this. Feed for a couple of hours, lie down for the same amount, eat again. Where to lie down - it does not matter to him, he does not choose a place: he can sink into a swamp or onto hard ground. He does not like to leave feeding places, if everything is in order, no one disturbs, he can live on several hectares for two to three weeks. A kilometer or two passes in a day, though more in winter. However, in case of danger or during the rut, it can cover up to 30 km per day.

By nature, this animal is not particularly cautious, self-confident, not timid. The beast is considered somewhat clumsy: it often goes ahead through the forest, because its powerful body allows it. Running away, the elk does not actually start running immediately, preferring to walk. Given the long legs, even this way of moving is quite fast.

Moose in nature keep one by one, sometimes in small groups. Most often, this is a female and her small or grown calves, which follow the mother. Surprisingly, elk cubs grow very quickly, overtaking even domestic animals: daily weight gain can be one and a half to two kilograms. Yes, at good conditions the weight of the animal can be:

• at birth - 8-10 kg;
• at 6 months - 150-170 kg;
• at 1.5 years - 300 kg.

In captivity, the life expectancy of an elk can be 25 years, but in natural conditions the maximum age is 15 years, on average, in nature, elks live 10-12 years.

Natural enemies are wolves, lynxes, wolverines, bears. Wolverine and lynx, although smaller than elk, defeat him thanks to a sudden attack from above from behind: they immediately bite through the carotid artery. Wolves usually overpower moose in winter, when the latter are weakened. And of course, the number of wolves is reduced by the person who hunts them.

Reproduction in moose

The time when moose lose their regularity and calmness is the rut. It usually occurs in late summer - early autumn. It goes on for about two months. Males during this period are very nervous, irritated, restless. better people don't meet them at this time. Often you can hear the voice of an elk. In general, he rarely screams, low and very loud. However, during the rut, the voice of an elk resembles the sounds made by a red deer, only the mighty beast cries intermittently. So the male calls for rivals to fight. Contractions are very fierce, sometimes the horns suffer. Older deer often do not allow young animals to mate at all. This happens in areas where there are more moose than moose. And the more unequal the ratio, the stronger the rivalry.

Sometimes, on the contrary, there are fewer males, since they are more likely to die from the shots of hunters. Then an elk in one rut can walk with several moose cows. Moreover, these animals are prone to monogamy, that is, the male may well spend time with one girlfriend. If he covers several, then he spends a week or two with each. Before that, the moose calmly and politely looks after, without aggression and pressure, waiting for her friend to respond with favor. However, to people, especially if moose often meet with them and are not afraid, they can be so aggressive that they even attack.

Females carry cubs for about 37 weeks. In the first birth, they usually bring one baby, and then two, often of different sexes. Often, the birth of triplets. Babies are born in April. Like most ungulates, they immediately try to get to their feet, as soon as the mother licks them. At first they walk unsteadily, the moose cow pushes and supports them with her muzzle. After three or four days, the offspring quite successfully runs after the mother. It is interesting that moose calves feed on milk for a long time, until the next estrus. If we take into account that the cubs grow quickly, then by the end of summer they already have to lie down on the ground in order to get to the coveted udder.

Young moose reach full maturity at two years.

• select and ;
• quality;

The weight of the forest giant - elk, can approach 800 kg, with a height of 1.5-2.3 meters.

Among the land giants, only the African elephant “grows” up to 3.5 meters and the elk one may well compete with it.

Such interesting name the animal received because of the shape of the horns, which resemble a peasant tillage tool - a plow.

The artiodactyl belongs to the deer family and is its most ancient representative. By appearance the elk differs from its counterparts: its body and neck are short, the withers are curved in the form of a hump. The head of the animal is hook-nosed, the upper lip hangs over the lower one. A soft hanging fold is formed under the neck, 25-40 cm long. The legs of the artiodactyl are quite strongly extended and in order to get to the water, he has to go deep into the water or kneel. If they say that the legs feed the wolf, then they save the elk. To get away from persecution, the mammal accelerates to 55 km / h. With a powerful blow of hooves, he is able to fight off a whole pack of wolves. The majestic head of the elk is crowned with two branches of horns, which change annually: in November-December, the animal sheds them, and by April new ones grow in it. The weight of such an ornament is 20-30 kg, the span is up to 1.8 m. Horns are worn only by males, they do not grow in females. Each individual has its own shape of the horn bone, it is almost impossible to meet two animals with the same horns. The formation of processes depends on various environmental conditions of the animal. Artiodactyls are excellent camouflage and the color of their skin matches the type of vegetation that prevails in their habitat.

Moose habitat

The weight of an elk can reach 800 kg.

The zone of “residence” of moose is forest and forest-steppe. Their total number on the planet is about one and a half million individuals. When choosing a place to live, the presence of swampy areas, forest rivers and lakes is very important for the animal.

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This relief allows you to hide from the heat in the summer and get food near water sources. AT winter period While artiodactyls migrate to an area with minimal snow cover, deep snow makes moose easy prey for predators. The main diet of artiodactyls is plant food. Due to their high growth, they easily pick off succulent young leaves from trees, eat branches of shrubs and grass, and feed on marsh vegetation. Closer to autumn, mushrooms and berries of lingonberries, blueberries and blueberries appear on the menu of elk. In summer, a portion of food eaten by a moose per day is 35 kg, in winter it is reduced to 10-15 kg. On average, per year, he absorbs about 7 tons of plant food, if the elk were carnivorous, then during this time, he would have eaten a whole African elephant!

The animal's favorite delicacy is mineral salt. On natural salt marshes, moose are the most frequent guests. In winter, they can be found on asphalt roads licking salt, which is sprinkled on the canvas as an anti-icing coating.

Elk is a very cautious animal, thanks to special structure eye, without turning his head, he sees everything that happens behind him. The ears also serve as excellent locators, they rotate in any direction and another moose, the animal hears at a distance of up to three kilometers. Far-set nostrils help to clearly determine the location of objects in space. The nose is a very sensitive organ, the enemies of the elk are well aware of this feature and, when attacked, they try to grab the prey by the nose, in which case the elk cannot resist and becomes practically immobilized.

Moose offspring and domestication

Moose moose are very caring and fearless mothers. They protect their cub from the attack of wolves, bears, even if it poses a threat to their own lives. After the birth of the baby, mothers do not leave him for up to two days and lick him, because the calf is absolutely helpless and defenseless and cannot even rise to his feet. Moose calves feed on their mother's milk and follow her until they are one year old. When a moose cow is expecting a new offspring, she drives away the grown calf and it begins an independent life. Adult moose differ in weight: males weigh an average of 430 kg, females "only" 340 kg.

Despite the fact that the elk is a wild animal, it can be domesticated. In Russia, several elk farms have been created, animals are kept for milk and young antlers - antlers.

1. They accumulate a large number of biologically active substances that are used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics.
2. Mature horns of the elk are used to make crafts and souvenirs.

In nature, moose are excellent swimmers, in water they can reach speeds of up to 10 km / h, a good indicator for a four-legged animal, considering that a whale usually swims at the same speed. Elklings can dive to a depth of 6 meters and hold their breath underwater for up to 30 seconds.

How much an elk weighs depends on where it lives. Animals - whose habitat is the western part of Russia, are much larger and heavier than their counterparts, registered in the eastern part of the country. The number of individuals per square kilometer is approximately the same. Regardless of where moose live, the safety of the population of these cautious and interesting animals depends on the person.

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. AT 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 River basin, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk regions), and they completely fit within the specified 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 green food in large quantities. 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 stops completely. 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 molt, 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 especially favorable conditions(cool, rainy summer, a small amount of midges) the increase over the summer can be 150 kg or more, so that by the age of 1.5 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 moose slows down, and in the fourth year the animals reach full weight. 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 of weight is exceptionally great, 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. The maximum weight of a 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.

- the largest type of game. Height at the shoulders 240 cm, weight 570 kg (record 655 kg). The male carries horns more than one and a half meters in scope and weighing up to 20 kg. By autumn, the baby elk, Born in the summer, reaches a weight of a centner.

The largest animals inhabit Eastern Siberia. Moose of medium size live in the European part of the USSR, south Far East inhabited by even smaller ones, although the average weight of the bulls of these moose is more than 200 kg, and the maximum is 400 kg. Far Eastern moose are distinguished by the absence of a "shovel" of flat expansion on the horns. The span of their horns is no more than a meter, and the weight is only 5 - 6 kg. The history of the distribution of the elk is amazing: the area of ​​\u200b\u200bhabitat, as it were, “breathes”, then the borders are rapidly (of course, on the scale of history) leaving - the south to the north, the north to the south, and the range of the animal narrows sharply; then also quickly the boundaries of the habitat of the species are expanding, and again there are a lot of moose.

To explain the fluctuations in the number of moose, one usually speaks of increased persecution by humans. But moose became less and where no one pursued them. There are absolutely correct indications that there are more moose after intensive deforestation, when animals receive a lot of fresh food from growing young. But there were cases in the history of the species when there were more clearings, and fewer moose. The answer lies in the fact that fluctuations in the number of moose are influenced not by any one factor, but by many, and above all purely natural - climatic, ecological and so-called population, that is, the mechanisms of internal regulation contained in the animals themselves. Of the climatic factors, snow depth and air temperature are important.

All these mechanisms are, of course, under heavy pressure from the direct influence of man - a change in the environment of the animal, hunting, just anxiety, etc.

Now moose occupy the most extensive areas on which they have ever lived, but the total number of animals is beginning to decline. It was the highest in the late 1950s and 1960s and approached 500,000 heads, and according to some sources, even 800,000. In the 1970s, it hardly exceeded 400,000 by much.

Moose live everywhere - from the tundra to the steppes and even semi-desert, but, of course, moose do not live permanently either in the treeless tundra, or in the monotonous mountain taiga, or in the bare steppe and semi-desert; they can only come here for a while. They prefer river valleys, marshes, forested islands among fields, forested ravines.

In summer, moose live scattered, in winter they gather in groups, almost constantly feeding in the same places - stalls. At this time, especially towards spring, when the snow is deep, moose cover only a few hundred meters per day. But autumn transitions reach 5 - 6 km, and single males in search of females are able to travel several tens of kilometers.

The location of the stalls depends on the feeding places. In Central Russia, these are mainly young pine forests, in the north - burnt areas and clearings, in Siberia - thickets of willows or shrub birches along river banks, in the Far East - sparse coniferous forests with abundant deciduous undergrowth.

The plant food of the moose is very diverse. It eats several hundred species of plants - woody and herbaceous, almost exclusively woody in winter, and both in summer. Moose loves succulent marsh plants very much. He also eats mushrooms, sometimes with a lack of food - lichens,

Eating 10 or more kilograms of branches and needles, moose in some places severely damage forests. They pose a particularly great threat to forest plantations, to coniferous crops. This predetermines the need for constant regulation of the population density of moose during the hunting process.

Heat and midges make moose nocturnal animals, during the day driving animals into bald patches, sparse areas and clearings, where the wind blows, into lakes and swamps, where you can hide up to your neck in water, or, conversely, into dense coniferous young growths that provide little protection from insect attacks. . Moose are excellent swimmers and can dive. To do 2 - 3 km for an elk is a mere trifle. We saw how they swam across the Rybinsk reservoir - 20 km in water. Moose are very fond of visiting salt licks. Sometimes gourmet comes to them 7 - 8 times in one night.

In winter, especially in severe frosts, moose feed during the day, taking breaks from time to time to rest. At night, they almost all the time remain on the bed. In very severe frosts, animals almost do not get up at all.

Elk is an artiodactyl mammal, the largest species of the deer family. The body length of males reaches 3 m, the height at the withers is 2.3 m, they weigh 250-570 kg. Males have horns, females do not. Moose are widespread in the forest and forest-steppe zones of our country from the western borders to the Far East and Chukotka. Animals are well adapted to severe frosty and snowy winters, their body is covered with coarse hair. On the upper side of the neck and withers long hair they form a mane, a skin outgrowth (“earring”) covered with hair hangs down on the throat, the tail is short.

The elk genus includes 6 subspecies, of which 4 live in the USSR and 2 in North America. We have about 700,000 wild moose. They live in forests singly or in small groups. They feed on herbs, trees and shrubs, lichens and fungi. During the day, an adult elk eats up to 35 kg of food in summer, and only 12-15 kg in winter. For moose, especially young ones, wolves, bears, wolverines are dangerous. However, adult strong moose can stand up for themselves. Their hooves are formidable weapons. Males during the rut are also dangerous for humans, therefore, to adults wild moose you can't get close.

Since ancient times, man has tried to tame and domesticate these strong and beautiful animals. It is believed that this was done 4-5 thousand years ago. Evidence can be, for example, rock paintings found in Siberia, in which the elk is depicted along with other domestic animals.

Why didn’t domesticated moose become by our time? Most likely, the elk simply could not stand the competition with a cow, a pig, a sheep. It was easier to get milk, meat, wool from them, and it was more convenient to use horses as a transport animal. In addition, the elk has always been hunted. And it seemed enough to shoot the animals - and you can prepare as much meat as you need.

Nevertheless, the interest of researchers in the domestication of moose is increasing. Scientists are trying to get from these animals not only meat, but also healing milk and antlers. Researchers are also attracted by the fact that the elk is a very unpretentious animal that has many valuable qualities: it grows quickly, reaches a large size and feeds on plants that farm animals do not eat. There is no need to build warm rooms for moose - their own fur coat warms them.

For more than 40 years, Soviet scientists have been working on the domestication of moose. Among them are employees of the Kostroma Agricultural Experimental Station, where a scientific laboratory of elk breeding and a moose farm have been established.

Moose calves are tamed according to a special method developed by the elk breeding laboratory. It is very important for them to slow down the feeling of fear of a person from birth, and then develop obedience so that they can control animals.

The main thing in domestication is the use of biological patterns of animal behavior. First, the calf develops "imprinting". A newborn calf remembers the one who first appears in front of him, whether it be a mother or a person, and follows him. And if you feed a calf from your hands, you will remember the person even better. “Following” is the second biological pattern. The calf gradually gets used to the one who cares for him, and even as an adult, he is not afraid of him, boldly approaches, expecting a treat - a cracker or a little salt. Only those young moose calves are selected for further breeding, which are well accustomed to people, to the moose farm, to the territory in which they graze, combined with high productivity. This is the process of domestication.

Employees of the elk breeding laboratory of the Kostroma Experimental Station devote great attention moose feeding. And by spring, one-year-old moose already weigh 200-230 kg. A two-year-old young moose at home usually brings 2 calves, and in nature her peers give offspring in the third year and only one calf.

In nature, a moose cow feeds a calf for 2-3 months. On the farm, moose cows are milked for 5-6 months. For milking, a special milking machine and even a whole installation have been designed. Such milking is used for the first time in the world. 500 kg or more of milk is produced from each moose cow.

Moose milk is thick, reminiscent of cream. It contains 12-14% fat, about 9% protein and 5.4% sugar. It does not turn sour for almost a week, as it is resistant to various bacteria. The bactericidal properties of moose milk and its high content (more than cow's) of fatty acids, proteins, trace elements and vitamins make it possible to use it in medicine as a remedy for gastrointestinal diseases. No less valuable are elk antlers, which contain biologically active substances, from which valuable medicinal product. Elk can be used for transportation under saddle and pack. It takes place in hard-to-reach forest and swampy places. Moose freely lift a pack weighing 80-120 kg, and in a sled team they carry all 500 kg.

Of course, domesticating a moose is not easy. There are still many unresolved questions. But the successes that have been achieved inspire confidence that they will be overcome. And this is a necessary and promising business.