The cloven-hoofed mammal elk (Latin name Alces alces) is the largest species of the deer family. The average height of a sokhaty reaches two and a half meters, and weight - five hundred and seventy kilograms. Sometimes males gain more than 650 kg. This animal has subspecies: Canadian, European, Asian. Their differences are insignificant, except that the Far Eastern moose are slightly smaller than their counterparts. Probably, many wildlife lovers are concerned about the question: “What does an elk eat? Especially in winter, in the forest? ” Indeed, in the conditions of a severe Siberian winter, it is difficult to find
pasture. Let's try to answer this question.
Distribution area
In Russia, moose are found in the natural zones of the tundra, taiga, mixed and deciduous forests. They can be seen even in the steppes and semi-deserts, but on these territories the steppe ones, of course, come only for a while, fleeing from especially harsh winters. Moose prefer wetlands of the forest, river valleys, ravines and spring covered with lush vegetation. What the elk eats depends on the habitat. For example, in the forest-steppe, these animals keep on the banks of the rivers, where they eat willow branches, but do not disdain aquatic vegetation. In the tundra, moss with lichens, herbs and mushrooms become their food. In the steppe, their diet consists of herbs. The most loved are coniferous, deciduous or
mixed forests. There moose find the best food in the form of young shoots and foliage. The well-being of young animals largely depends on the diet. If the calf was born in the summer and spent the first months of his life in the forest, then before the onset of winter he gains in weight more than one centner.
What does elk eat in the forest?
If we are talking about the taiga, then in the summer, sahats lead a twilight lifestyle. The fact is that these huge animals are scared to death of tiny insects - gnats. They escape from bloodsuckers in swamps or lakes: during the day they stand up to their necks in the mud or water of lakes and rivers, and they go out to graze only at night. In order to hide from the nest, animals look for well-blown glades, climb into the young shoot of a spruce or a dense undergrowth. To be saved from the vulture, those dried in the forest-tundra leave the thicket for many kilometers. Moose swim perfectly - to overcome two kilometers of a water barrier is not a problem for them. If there is a river or lake nearby, sahats spend hot hours there, pinching off coastal plants. Elk nutrition includes algae. At the
same time, the sahaty can hold his breath for up to one or two minutes to find the right food. By the way, to get drunk, a moose has to kneel. Too long front legs and a short neck prevent him from reaching the water.
Salt starvation
It is likely that foliage, needles, bark and shoots do not fully satisfy the needs of these large artiodactyls in useful substances. Since it is a wild animal, it must itself seek the source of salt. Without it, the animal is sick. Therefore, in the summer, moose come out of the forests and look for salt licks. There they lick the soil, saturating the body with this mineral. In winter, in search of salt, they go on major highways, knowing from experience that a solution necessary for health is formed on asphalt. To prevent traffic accidents, foresters, knowing what the moose eats, mix crystals into the feed or leave compressed cubes among the thicket.
Mushroom diet
In addition to salt, the largest deer lack mushrooms. Therefore, after a warm rain or with the onset of autumn, moose go in search of these gifts of the forest. Especially fond of dried spongy mushrooms - bryophytes, boletus, white. Adults remember rich places and visit them from time to time for a new crop. Incredible, but true: moose eat fly agaric! Moreover, the sensation is not this fact itself, but the fact that fungal toxins have no effect on these animals. And the elk vitamins are derived from berries. They pinch twigs of lingonberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Realizing that you need to stock up on fat before the onset of cold weather, moose feed intensively in the summer. In warm time, an adult eats thirty-five kilograms of food, while in winter - only 12-15.
Seasonal Products
Summer for herbivores is a very fertile time. Even in the tundra you can find many lichens and mosses, twigs of creeping plants (dwarf birch or willow). There is even more feed in the taiga. On clearcuts and burnt places, sahas easily find sorrel and fireweed, tall herbs and young shoots, raspberries and blackberries. Water lilies and egg capsules grow in warmed ponds, and along the banks there are kaluzhnitsa, shift workers, and horsetails. But already in September, the foliage begins to turn yellow and fall. The diet of moose is also changing. Sukhoi pass to branches of shrubs and trees, fallen leaves, and by November they include bark in their menu. What does elk eat in winter? In this difficult time, the branches and bark become predominantly forage for herbivores. And here the huge growth of an elk becomes its salvation. The animal can reach those branches that deer cannot reach. But the elk does not leave hope to get to pasture.
What do moose eat in winter?
The answer to this question depends on the habitat of animals. Where snow cover is low (up to half a meter) and frequent winter thaws occur, moose live sedentary. From winds and cold weather they seek shelter in dense
coniferous forests. After all, there is not only shelter, but also a sufficient amount of food. Pine and spruce are the favorite winter food of the savvy in the taiga of Asia, and fir in Canada and Alaska. In the European part of Russia, Scandinavia, as well as in Belarus, Poland and Ukrainian Polesie, moose, in addition to coniferous paws, eat branches of willow, mountain ash, aspen, and birch. Of the shrubs, they prefer raspberries, because the blackberry falls in the snow for the winter. When the thaw sets in, moose gnaw on the bark. In hungry winters, southerly without any complexes visit forest plantations and green nurseries.
Forced Nomads
In those places where the snow cover reaches a height of more than half a meter, moose are forced to migrate to warmer areas, so that in the event of glaciation of the branches they can rake pasture. Animals begin to roam long before the onset of winter, back in October. The herd is built strictly according to the hierarchy. Ahead are those females that have cubs. Thus, the young are provided with untouched pastures. The system is closed by males and females without cubs. A herd runs about ten kilometers a day. Spring migrations occur during snowmelt and in the reverse order: adult males are the first, females with moose are the last. Food at this time is what moose usually eat in the forest. Sukhata dig out evergreen branches of lingonberries and blueberries from under the snow, gnaw on bark or eat coniferous paws.
What are stands?
Arriving at the place of wintering, moose begin to settle down. Unlike in summer, those grazed in winter are grazed only during daylight hours. In order to get to the high branches and gain access to what the moose eats, the whole herd in the forest compacts snow together at the site of the future feeding. Foresters call such winter pastures “stands”. Several dozen animals can graze on them at the same time. But in places of lodges (lodging for the night), moose loosens the snow. When biting frosts come, the sahas burrow into the snowdrifts, like into a fluffy blanket, from under which only horns and withers stick out. The herd chooses for the night leeward slopes, yars, ravines. To support the moose in difficult times, foresters leave in the depths of the thicket feeders with hay mixed with salt.
Spring migration
When daylight hours increase significantly, moose begin to return to places of summer feeding. Led by an experienced female, the herd is lining up in a new order. This time, the males are the first to go, and the young ones are followed. What does elk eat in spring? Those plants that first turn green. Young needles are a source of vitamin C. Favorite spring treats for harvesters are birch and alder catkins, willow shoots. Moose move slowly, waiting when along the way
the kidneys will bloom and grass will hatch. These animals are stubborn walkers, but they do not like sprint. If they are attacked, they either prefer to defend themselves, or leave the pursuer with a sweeping, trotting walk. We can say that moose are more resistant to cold than heat. Thick coat poorly provides thermoregulation of the body. May is the most fertile time for moose. Then Ivan-tea (fireweed) blooms, willow branches are poured with juice and let out young leaves, sorrel and wild garlic rich in vitamins appear. Elk is addicted not only to fly agaric, but also to poisonous plants. He eats buttercups, lily of the valley, euonymus,
raven eye and
wolf bast. For animal health, tannins in the bark (especially mountain ash, aspen and willow), as well as turpentines, which animals draw from juniper and pine needles, are needed.