{{Short description|Subspecies of deer}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{more citations needed|date=November 2011}} {{subspeciesbox | name = Western moose | image = Moose superior.jpg | genus = Alces | species = alces | species_link = Moose | subspecies = andersoni | authority = Peterson, 1952<ref>{{cite journal |title=Alces alces. |author=Albert W. Franzmann |date=1981-05-08 |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=154 |pages=1–7 |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-154-01-0001.pdf |access-date=2012-02-21 |doi=10.2307/3503876 |jstor=3503876 |s2cid=253963283 |archive-date=2013-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231163526/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-154-01-0001.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> }}

The '''Western moose'''<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=[[Canadian Wildlife Service]] |date=1950 |title=Mammals |journal=Wildlife Management Bulletin |volume=1 |issue=1–11 |pages=7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkclAQAAMAAJ}}</ref> ('''''Alces alces andersoni''''') is a subspecies of [[moose]] that inhabits [[boreal forest]]s and mixed [[deciduous forest]]s in the [[Northern Canada|Canadian Arctic]], [[western Canada|western Canadian provinces]] and a few western sections of the northern [[United States]]. It is the second largest North American subspecies of moose, second to the [[Alaska moose|Alaskan moose]]. This subspecies is prey to [[wolf|timber wolves]] and [[bear]]s. Male Western moose are aggressive during mating season (autumn and winter) and may injure or kill with provocation.

==Habitat, range, and distribution== The Western moose inhabits [[British Columbia]], eastern [[Yukon]], [[Northwest Territories]], southwestern [[Nunavut]], [[Alberta]], [[Saskatchewan]], [[Manitoba]], western [[Ontario]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], the upper peninsula of [[Michigan]], northern [[Wisconsin]], northern [[Minnesota]], and northeastern [[North Dakota]]. Additionally, [[Parks Canada]] transferred eighteen western moose from [[Elk Island National Park]] to [[Nova Scotia]]'s [[Cape Breton Highlands National Park]] between 1947 and 1949 for population increase. [[Cape Breton Island]]'s moose are descendants of these western moose.

<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Pulsifer, M. D. |author2=Nette, T. L. |date=1995 |title=History, status and present distribution of moose in Nova Scotia |journal=Alces: A Journal Devoted to the Biology and Management of Moose |volume=31 |pages=209–219 |url=https://www.alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/download/907/983}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://novascotia.ca/natr/wildlife/sustainable/mmoosefaq.asp#mm2|title = Mainland Moose Frequently Asked Questions &#124; novascotia.ca}}</ref> They were also introduced to [[New Zealand]]'s [[Fiordland National Park]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.explorenorth.com/library/nature/moose-nz.html|title = ExploreNorth}}</ref>

==Diet== Western moose eat terrestrial vegetation such as [[forbs]] and [[Shoot (botany)|shoots]] from [[willow]] and [[birch]] trees and aquatic plants, including [[Lily|lilies]] and pondweed. Western moose can consume up to 9,770 calories a day, about {{convert|32|kg}}. The Western moose, like other species, lacks upper front teeth but instead has eight sharp [[incisors]] on its lower jaw. They also have a tough tongue, gums, and lips to help chew woody vegetation.

==Size and weight== Male Western moose stand anywhere from {{convert|1.9|to|2.0|m|ft}} at the shoulder. Their [[antlers]] span {{convert|1.5|to|1.7|m|ft}} and they weigh anywhere from {{convert|380|–|720|kg|lb}}. Female Western moose stand at {{convert|1.8|m}} on average, and weigh anywhere from {{convert|270|to|360|kg|lb}}.

==Social structure and reproduction== [[File:Moose in Bowron Lake Provincial Park, BC (DSCF3986).jpg|thumb|Western moose cow and calf in [[Bowron Lake Provincial Park]]]] Western moose do not form social bonds and only come into contact to mate or to battle for a mate. Elevated [[testosterone]] levels during mating season mean that bulls may attack anything during mating season, including humans, [[coyotes]], [[wild boar]]s, [[deer]], [[red fox]]es, [[cougar]]s, [[wolf]] packs, [[Grizzly bear]]s, [[elk]], and [[American black bear|black bear]]s. They use a subtle [[mating call]] to attract females or to announce to other males that they are in the area. In the event of a fight over mating rights, bull moose risk locking their antlers, which almost always results in them both dying from starvation. Western moose females will have, on average, one or two [[Calf (animal)|calves]] at once. A female may attack if she feels that her calves are threatened, although, at around 10–11 months yearling Western moose are chased off by their mothers to fend for themselves.

==Hunting== With a population of about 950,000 individuals, they are hunted every autumn and winter in both Canada and the United States. Annual quotas vary depending on local population estimates and hunter success from the previous season.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q7988509}}

[[Category:Cape Breton Island]] [[Category:Fauna of the Great Lakes region]] [[Category:Fauna of the Northwestern United States]] [[Category:Fauna of Western Canada]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1952]] [[Category:Mammals of Canada]] [[Category:Mammals of the United States]] [[Category:Moose]]