Since we are coming upon Moosin’ season, we thought we would put together a few facts about our large friends. Moose are more common for Mainers north of Ogunquit, but every now and then, we’ll see antlers down this way. In fact, Long Sands Beach in York had a moose swimming among the beachgoers this year! Check out the youtube video – one hot and hairy beach babe!

So here are some fun facts about Moose in Maine!

• Moose is the largest member of the deer family – yep, Bambi’s cousin
• Moose are herbivores (hmmm, so if you don’t want to eat those veggies)
• The Moose is the official State Animal of Maine. Hey that’s why we’re Maine-iacs
• Only the Bull Moose has antler. And that’s no bull.
• Moose can measure up to 7.5 feet tall. Hey NBA, how’s that for ups!
• A Bull Moose can grow to weigh up to 1,400 lbs. Definitely not pet material!
• A newborn usually weighs about 33lbs and will reach up to 400lbs by their first winter. Thanks goodness it doesn’t need new shoes too!
• Moose have very good sense of hearing and smell, but they can’t see very well. Blind as a   . . . moose?!?
• Antlers can grow to be up to 5 feet long. There’s no getting around that – so be sure to stay out of the way!
• The long legs of a Moose allow them to run up to 35 mph. That’s one of the fastest land animals – out run by the horse (45mph) and the cheetah (75mph). Neither are native to Moose teritory so moose can out run most anything in its path.
• A Moose can swim up to 6mph. Wonder what Michael Phelps thinks of that . . .
• Moose live in cool climate forests near water. Most definitely not a Maine snowbird.
• Moose eat grass, leaves, aquatic weeds and twigs. They are the nut and berries type. Very earthy crunchy.
• Predators of Moose are man and grizzly bears. One hunts them and infringes on their habitat. One hunts them and thinks wow, that’s a big lunch.
• Moose are active throughout the day. Likes: sunrise walks, sunset walks, moon walks. Dislikes: long naps and traffic. So be careful driving in moose season day or night!
• The best time to see a Moose is at dawn or dusk. It really is the best lighting for my features, do these antlers make my head look big?

Think of Moose like big game. Imagine you are on a Maine safari. Stay in the car and take great pics on the iphone. You can always get up close and personal with Lenny, a life size chocolate moose in Scarborough – which is a much sweeter way to enjoy your Maine vacation!