Yellowstone Wildlife - Moose
Look for moose among the willows in Willow Park, just south of Mammoth Hot Springs.
Another good area is just south of Canyon and the Lake area.
On occassion they can be seen in the Madison and Firehole rivers.
The east side of Lamar Valley is another good spot.
The moose is the largest member of the deer family. Both bulls and cows have a dark
brown coat, with lighter hair on their hind legs. Moose of both sexes have an elongated
head, bulbous nose, and a pendulous dewlap or "bell" under the throat, different from
other ungulates in the Yellowstone ecosystem. The palmate antlers of the bulls are also
unique to the moose. Like elk and deer, however, the bull moose shed their antlers after
each breeding season.
Healthy bulls and cows can live into their twenties, reach weights of 1,000 pounds or
more, and heights of more than seven feet. During the summer, moose frequent shallow
ponds, marshes, streams and rivers feeding on aquatic plants and willow leaves. Their winter diet shifts to
twigs from conifers, willows and shrubs.
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