page_title: Western moose
section_title: Social structure and reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: Western moose / Social structure and reproduction
caption_attribution_description: English: Alces alces andersoni (Western moose) cow and calf feeding in the Bowron River East of campsite 54 at Bowron Lake Provincial Park, BC
context_page_description: The Western moose is a subspecies of moose that inhabits boreal forests and mixed deciduous forests in the Canadian Arctic, western Canadian provinces and a few western sections of the northern United States. It is the second largest North American subspecies of moose, second to the Alaskan moose. This subspecies is prey to cougars, timber wolves, bears, and coyotes. Male Western moose are aggressive during mating season and may injure or kill with provocation.
context_section_description: Western moose do not form social bonds and only come into contact to mate or to battle for a mate. Elevated testosterone levels during mating season mean that bulls may attack anything during mating season, including humans, coyotes, wild boars, deer, red foxes, cougars, wolf packs, Grizzly bears, elk, and black bears. They use a subtle mating call to attract females or to announce to other males that they are in the area. In the event of a fight over mating rights, bull moose risk locking their antlers, which almost always results in them both dying from starvation. Western moose females will have, on average, one or two calves at once. A female may attack if she feels that her calves are threatened, although, at around 10–11 months yearling Western moose are chased off by their mothers to fend for themselves.
caption: Western moose cow and calf in Bowron Lake Provincial Park
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