The Handsome Couple
Wyoming, USA
Moose are generally solitary animals and do not form permanent pairs or permanent family groups. They come together only during the autumn breeding season which is known as the rut.
The timing of the moose rut varies with each of the four subspecies: gigas, andersoni, americana and shirasi. It is primarily influenced by latitude and weather, beginning in late August with the most northerly subspecies, and is generally through by mid-October for all of the subspecies.
Activity begins the after bulls shed the velvet from their antlers. They then travel widely across the lower elevations and willow flats in search of receptive cows. They will scrape shallow depressions in the ground, urinate in them, and roll around to absorb and spread their pheromones. Males test dominance through antler sparring or aggressive, high-stakes fights over breeding rights. Cows use long, nasal calls, and bulls respond with grunts to signal their presence.
After establishing dominance, the bull follows the cow around until she is ready to mate. Once mating ends, the bull contributes nothing to raising the offspring and leaves the cow immediately.
Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.
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