The Moose is the largest extant member of the Deer Family. During rutting season, the male sports a pair of fine antlers. These project out at right angles from his skull, with an average spread of around 200 cms. These antlers are used in territorial demonstrations and occasional fights. The cows favour males displaying a bigger rack. Outside of breeding season, he discards his antlers to conserve energy. Weighing up to 700 kg, he requires a large amount of fodder to sustain his strength and thus spends much of his day foraging. Whilst mainly terrestrial, Moose will enter the water to graze on sodium-rich aquatic plant life. Moose are native to North America and around the Arctic Circle, including northern Europe and Russia.
An effort was made to establish the Moose in Hokitika, and then in Fiordland, New Zealand. Ten were released: four bulls, six cows, and subsequently disappeared into the dense forest. Although they are thought to have all perished - it was hardly ideal habitat (as a lecturer once told us, the moose would wander into the fiords to feed, discover they were much, much deeper than expected, and drown) - rumours still persist and occasional signs of their continued existence have been found, albeit nothing concrete (such as an actual sighting).
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