Talk:Moose

Semi-protected edit request on 13 September 2023

Moose have now been seen repeatedly in central New York, especially near the Mohawk River. The portion of this article about moose in decline since 1990 is seriously outdated. It’s sad that’s this article is locked down because I have videos and picture of moose near Rome, N.Y. That’s an area without moose for at least 120 years. Thanks. Snider33 (talk) 00:54, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Definitely check out WP:Reliable sources Cannolis (talk) 01:12, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

Hi, and thanks for bringing your ideas and concerns here. That's how articles get improved. This article sees a lot of vandalism, so it's unfortunate that is has to be locked, but unfortunately that's the world we live in.

I'm neither accepting nor denying your request. Here's the thing. Wikipedia relies on sources. What separates us from the rest of the internet is that, while most contributors are anonymous, we don't simply take people's word for things. We need something like a newspaper article, magazine, or book. A reliable website would do, but no blogs, youtube, facebook, or personal photos as evidence. Few of us watching this article probably live in New York, so (speaking for myself) I would have no clue where to look for such a source. The easiest way to get this included is to find such a source and bring it here, and then we can easily update the article for you. I hope that helps, and if you can find such a source please do post it here. Thanks for you're help. Zaereth (talk) 01:15, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

Fauna of the Rocky Mountains

Aren’t moose supposed to live in the Rocky Mountains? 2601:6C1:582:7610:45D0:27A5:9C01:E0C1 (talk) 14:11, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

Doubtful, even in the Canadian Rockies. Moose aren't mountain climbers. Zaereth (talk) 18:16, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, they may live in the Rocky Mountain region but they don't seem to be interested on going up on actual mountains. I mean, why would you when you're huge and difficult to kill and can find food at lower elevations? Like most beings, moose don't like to work any harder than they have to. Beeblebrox (talk) 02:20, 8 October 2023 (UTC)

Moose like low ridges in the summer time when there is wind and its hot. It's in the article and I've seen it happen. sbelknap (talk) 19:47, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

" In late winter, moose prefer river valleys with deciduous forest cover or alpine terrain above the tree line" sbelknap (talk) 20:22, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 October 2023

Moose have now been found as low as New Mexico and on the Diné (Navajo) reservation. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has documented this extensively over the past 2 years. 2601:8C0:C201:EE40:5875:5CA2:9E92:8692 (talk) 00:37, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Ok, then, as a wild guess, I'm assuming you think this should be added to the article? For that, all we need is that documentation. Could you please provide it? Zaereth (talk) 00:42, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. UtherSRG (talk) 13:11, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Footprints and dewclaws

On looking through the available information on the web it appears that there is no reliable method of determining if tracks by a moose are male or female by noting the dew claw marks. Whilst it would be true that the softer the ground and/or the heavier the moose the more likely the dew claws will leave an imprint, there is no way to know how soft the ground and how much weight would be required, and it certainly doesn't distinguish equal sized males and females. There are no published tests to demonstrate the truth of the statement claimed, and there are no authoritative expert opinions to give it full credit. I am removing the claim on the basis of it likely being an unproven myth. Jameel the Saluki (talk) 13:34, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

Orca Predation

Pretty sure this is a misconception based on a Tumblr post, is there a real citation for this? 2A00:1028:8384:A4CA:313A:4D94:5E28:E795 (talk) 07:08, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Sure. Lots. Have you checked the source in the article? There also the book Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals which on page 930 says "Killer whales opportunistically intercept individual deer and moose as they swim between coastal islands." Plus many other books. There is also https://environmentalaska.us/orcas.html , https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/killer-whale/diet/ , https://orcanation.org/the-life-of-orcas-biology-and-ecology/ , to name a few. I don't think anyone has ever caught a moose kill on camera, as it's fairly rare, but many moose carcasses have been found in the ocean with killer whale bites that were easily distinguished from sharks or other marine predators. Killer whales are also known to eat many other deer species, brown bears, polar bears, and they even set traps for seagulls. Zaereth (talk) 08:23, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

I've also heard of humans using this same tactic, not on moose but on Sitka black-tailed deer, you get up close in a boat, get a rope around one, shoot it and pull it aboard. This may not be 100% legal for non-natives. In a turnaround, Secrets of the Whales has footage of a polar bear successfully hunting a beluga. Just Step Sideways ^{from this world ..... today} 21:52, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

Introduction to Newfoundland

Under population, it says that the current population is descendant from "just four that were introduced in the 1900s" (to paraphrase). However, in 1878, 2 moose had been introduced, and in 1912 a moose had been shot which was determined by James Howley to be an offspring of the 1878 pair (source: "The Introduction of Moose to the Island of Newfoundland" by Alan Byrne). So I don't think it's totally accurate to state it as is. More accurate would be "six individuals introduced in 1878 and 1904 [...]"

Furthermore (and this is really more speculation on my part, so please feel free to disregard), does it really make sense that the entire moose population of Newfoundland comes from just these 4 (potentially 6) individuals? Perhaps I am misunderstanding the genetic diversity found within moose, but it doesn't seem sustainable, especially for over 100 years. StuckInTheFridge (talk) 15:59, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

If you have a very good source, then feel free to correct it. I haven't seen the source so I don't know anything about it myself. As for genetic diversity, what we know and understand about genetics is extremely miniscule compared to what we don't; the science is still very much in its infancy. There are more codes in a single strand of DNA than all the letters in all the books of the Library of Congress. Yet only a microscopic percentage of that DNA is used for anything and the rest is ancestral DNA passed down from eons and eons of evolution.

Many dog breeds originated from from only a few individuals, and even humans often evolved in isolated societies with very little genetic diversity, so it's definitely possible. There was a study done in Hawaii, where lava flows would cut vast swaths through the forests, leaving small "islands" of untouched forest between the rivers of lava. The insects in these forest-islands would stay and remain isolated from insects in other parts of the island. (Insects are great for such studies because their lifespan is so short.) They then tended to evolve along different lines than the same insects in other parts of the state, even from those in other forest-islands nearby, giving evidence that a lot of evolution probably takes place from such isolation and inbreeding. But it's definitely a possibility that a population of moose could be descended from just a few individuals. Zaereth (talk) 22:01, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Heraldry, addition

Swedish provinces Jämtland & Gästrikland also feature an elk (moose) on their coat of arms.

Moose mate?

There's an audio file on the page that is entitled "Moose mate". Judging by the sounds on that file, I suspect that the file ought to be indicated as "Moose mating call", or whatever it's supposed to be. Tmangray (talk) 03:39, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Nunavut

Moose range in Canada extends into mainland Nunavut.

https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/publications/2022-01/Moose.pdf 198.103.111.110 (talk) 16:53, 24 July 2024 (UTC)

The article says "almost all of Canada except Vancouver Island and the arctic". Unless the whole of mainland Nunavut is considered 'the arctic' (which I don't think it is, though I could be wrong), that includes Nunavut. Anaxial (talk) 19:02, 24 July 2024 (UTC)

meaning of word "moose"

I read in the Online Etymology Dictionary that the meaning of the Algonquian word for moose, "he strips off" is referring to the moose's habit of stripping bark off of trees to eat. Perhaps this should be added to explain the meaning of the word.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=moose 2600:1012:A023:8AD6:CF37:2CBA:EAC3:74AB (talk) 02:10, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

Pretty sure it did say that at one time, but was removed when someone came along and did some major trimming. I've always had doubts about that interpretation, however, because moose rarely strip the bark off trees for food. They may do that in the winter if nothing else is available, but it's like a last resort, not what they normally eat if they have a choice. Moose prefer leafy plants and fresh shoots. A more reasonable explanation is it's because moose tend to strip all the leaves off a branch in a single mouthful, which is quite common. Or that velvet strips off his antlers every fall.

It's often a fallacy in etymology to assume words even got their meanings through some logical means like that, because more often than not there is no logical explanation. Languages evolve in unpredictable and unexpected ways. How did "gear", a word that originally meant "habits", come to mean "a wheel with interlocking teeth"? No one knows. Not logically, that's for sure. Usually those kinds of etymological explanations are just people taking shots in the dark. For example, the bullseye article used to say it was because medieval archers would use a bull's skull as a target. Sounds somewhat plausible, until you realize how expensive arrows were back then. Then it just sounds made up (which it was). Zaereth (talk) 02:42, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

Hi, well, the OED still says that; they did add "supposedly" to the definition, though. LOL. Thanks much for your explanation. True many words have no identifiable meaning now. However, for example, the buckeye tree is aptly named b/c its seeds do look like the eyes of a deer. And you're probably right that the origin of "bullseye" was not from a usage of bull's skulls for target practice. It's probably a lot simpler than that. A "bullseye" does look like a big eye; big enough for a bull. Anyway, I am no linguist but have always thought the backstory on the word "moose" was intriguing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1012:A023:8AD6:CF37:2CBA:EAC3:74AB (talk) 03:34, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

Well, don't get me wrong. I'm fascinated by etymology myself, because it tells so much about the people. If you want to understand how a people's minds worked, learn their language. The etymology of "moose" is a really interesting one, kinda like the etymology of "dog". I'm not opposed to re-adding this info. After all, it does come from a reliable source. If no one else objects I may just add it back to the article, per your request, but first I'll give time for people to reply. Zaereth (talk) 17:12, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

thanks! 2600:1012:A023:8AD6:CF37:2CBA:EAC3:74AB (talk) 05:46, 5 September 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 October 2024

Change US States that have moose to include Washington State. BeaHarrison (talk) 18:50, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

 Not done I assume this is in rreference to the lead, which mentions where there are "substantial numbers of moose". Washington is in fact mentioned further down in the article in the section titled "Habitat, range, and distribution." Just Step Sideways ^{from this world ..... today} 19:12, 24 October 2024 (UTC)