Moose are well known globally for their beautiful, tall antlers.Moose are one of the largest deer family species, known for their solitary and aggressive behavior. If you ever think of keeping a moose as a pet, then you must drop the idea.Moose are a native species to Canada, Alaska, New York, North America, and Russia. They are also found in many other countries around the world. From the behavior of moose, it is known that they are solitary and aggressive types of animals who often protect themselves from their predators, such as humans, wolves, and wild bears by being close to water bodies. Males can easily be differentiated from females by their antlers. Males often get into fights in order to mate with females. Male moose are called bulls. A moose gets most of its nutrients from the green vegetation it eats. The fur coat of the moose protects them from the harsh cold of the winter season. Balsam fir plants protect them during the winter season. The genus moose belongs to is Alces. Mostly, young calves in the wild fall prey to their predators. Bull moose antlers stop growing after the fall or autumn season so that they can prepare to mate. Moose have a humped back with thin legs and a large, heavy body. The IUCN lists moose as being of least concern. Moose are diurnal animals, and male moose are polygamous by their behavior. The mating season basically starts from September to October. Female moose go through an eight-month gestation period with a litter size of one to two calves during the spring or summer season. Their mating and birth-giving time might vary according to the location. A moose is known to survive somewhere between 15-25 years. In a few cases, a moose might even attack humans if they feel like they are being interfered with by them, especially during the mating and gestation period. If you enjoy reading this article about what do moose eat then read some other interesting and surprising fun facts about how fast can a moose run and how tall are moose.Will moose eat apples?Yes, moose will no doubt prefer eating an apple.Moose are herbivores on the basis of their food eating habits among wildlife animals. Moose prefer eating both land and aquatic vegetation. A moose species will no doubt eat an apple. In the summer season, a moose will be found around apple trees, but with the arrival of the autumn season, the fallen apples rot, and due to the fermentation of the fruit, the natural nutrients of the fruit do not remain the same.So, this particular aspect, at times, might annoy these four-legged herbivores. Generally, a moose prefers to eat the bark and leaves of trees. Along with that, a moose can also be seen feeding on roots, twigs, water plants, and shoots of plants. During the winter season, moose prefer to eat evergreen trees and plants such as willow. It is believed that in summer, moose will eat more in order to build up energy for the winter season.Moose Diet By Season And LocationThe moose’s diet changes according to season and location. In the summer season, a moose will prefer eating green grass and aquatic plants, while in the winter season, a moose prefers eating rare plants of the area where they live.In the spring season, a moose will prefer feeding on the natural green vegetation of an area, such as grass, shrubs, and blooms. In the summer season, a moose can be seen feeding on fruits, vegetables, and aquatic plants, while, with the arrival of the winter season and the fall of autumn, a moose can be seen feeding on willow tree bark, twigs, and roots of plants or trees. During the summer season, the sodium required in their diet food is recovered from aquatic plants. The balsam fir plant also protects this species from winter.A moose and young calves in the wild or in a habitat that is cold, such as Canada, Alaska, and North America, will eat a natural diet of twigs, bark, leaves, roots, and flowers of trees. Moose as a species are good swimmers and also feed on horsetails, water lilies, and pondweed. Depending upon the season, the moose and its calves will have a variety of food. In the wild, you may find moose close to water bodies to feed themselves on water plants as well as protect themselves from predators.Moose cannot live in captivity as they live better among wildlife. Moose calves are often seen feeding on goat milk, while a six-month-old calf, often confused as a deer, is introduced to twigs, leaves and the soft bark of a plant by its mother. The fresh shoot of a plant is also eaten by the calves of the moose species.How do you feed moose?Though moose are mostly calm by nature, they can be anything but calm when provoked. They are very quick with their actions and movements around wildlife, including their calves.Moose species are not that easy to keep in captivity. Female moose are called cows, while male moose are called bulls. Cow moose are mostly aggressive when they have their own calves. Bull moose are aggressive with the fall of the mating season. During the mating season, bull moose can also be very dominant in their territory, including young moose. Generally, moose require large areas where they can roam around freely, similar to other wildlife. Even if you spot a male moose with tall antlers, a female or their calves, they are all fed with pellet food which has many supplements and vitamins quite similar to their own food in the wild. An adult moose will eat somewhere around 40-60 lbs (18-27 kg) of graze per day. Small and young calves are fed milk made from soft twigs, leaves, or branches of plants or trees.Do moose eat meat?No, moose do not feed on the flesh or meat of other animal species. Moose are herbivores and are very strict with their diet which is more oriented towards green vegetation and trees.Unlike most wild animals, both males (bulls) and females (cows) of the moose species do not eat meat. As they are not naturally oriented to feeding themselves on the flesh or meat of an animal, they fulfill their food requirements through green plant species found in their habitat. They have a four-chambered stomach similar to that of a cow’s stomach. Their range of foods is bark, twigs, and the leaves of plants or trees. The young can be seen feeding themselves on soft plant parts.What foods are toxic to moose?Plant foods, such as Japanese yew and chokeberry, are toxic for moose species.In the wild, moose with antlers or without antlers feed on a range of green vegetation throughout the year. It keeps on changing from season to season, including the location. Japanese yew and chokeberry have a high amount of cyanide which will naturally kill this species with beautiful antlers. Humans, many a time unknowingly, might grow them close to their habitat, which can be eaten by their calves as well as adults, depending upon food availability.What is a moose’s favorite food?The favorite foods of moose are leaves, bark, roots of willow trees, aspen trees, and balsam fir.A moose grazes on evergreen vegetation that they can feed upon throughout the year. They also like to feed upon Alpine trees’ kernels. The kernels are when they fall down from the tree. Apart from this, they enjoy eating soft shrubs, water lilies, horsetails, and apples during their season. This species with antlers also vary in their favorite food before and after the mating season.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘What do moose eat?’ then why not take a look at ‘Are there moose in Colorado?’ or ‘Moose fun facts for kids’?

Moose are well known globally for their beautiful, tall antlers.