Moose Day - January 15

Happy Moose Day!

You'll find some references to this holiday on the web, but not much information about it. My hunch is that there's no strong reason to celebrate Moose on this particular day.

The largest living species of deer is the Moose, and they are big dudes. Males are 5-7' tall at the shoulder and weight between 8-16 hundred pounds. Adults are too big for most predators, though the largest predators in an ecosystem will occasionally tangle with them.

While most deer project classic good looks and gracefulness, the Moose could probably best be described as homely and ungainly. They're actually the most likely wild animal to injure someone in North America, though I suspect that's partly because they're more widespread than Grizzly Bears and Bison.

The name "moose" is based on a Native American word for the animals. Confusingly the British call this animal an "elk", which here in North America refers to the Wapiti. I suppose if you're British, you should be celebrating Elk Day instead.

Photo by Shivam Kumar on Unsplash