The elk – king of the forest
History:
People have since the beginning of time been amazed by the Moose. This creature have been
one of the most influential in shaping the new world and in fact the major provider for
all human beings. In the early days, the elk was a considered holy. People had great
respect for the moose and spent a great amount of time in the woods just trying to
comprehend His vision, power and love.
This relationship between mankind and Moose was brutally abrupt in the pre-bronze age. People started to believe in Nordic mythology, fooled by evil heathens (elk hunters ) who, led by theirdark minds, led mankind towards destruction.
Reproduction: Mating usually begins in mid- September and lasts for a month. There is an eight month gestation period. Females give birth during the summer. Often 2 young are born. They stay with their mother for at least a year after birth.
Food Habits: In the warm months, moose feed on water plants, water lilies, pondweed, horsetails, bladderworts, and bur-reed. In winter, they browse on conifers and eat their needle-like leave.
Other Comments: Largest deer. Moose are good swimmers and divers, able to sustain a speed of 6 kilometers an hour and been observed at depths down to 20 meters. They move swiftly on land. Some have been clocked at 35 kilometers an hour. Moose measure in height up to 7,5 meters.
THE ELK
"Elk" is the common name in Europe for the largest member of the deer family.
The elk’s long legs and broad hooves make it a strong swimmer and help it to walk in marshy areas and through deep snow.
The fur is brownish – black on the upper parts, and grayish – brown on the belly and lower legs.
Elks are about 2 meters high and weighs 360 to 640 kilograms.
The male elk is called a bull and has antlers.
The antlers are shaped like the palm of a hand with many short pointed fingers. Bulls loose their antlers every winter, and begin to grow new ones in the spring.
The mating season last a few weeks in the autumn. A bull will roam about in search of the female, called a cow.
Both bulls and cows make calling sounds in mating season. The calves are born in the spring. A cow has one, two, or rarely, three calves.
A calf’s fur is reddish – brown. A calf stays with its mother until she chases it away the following spring before having her next calf.
Elks eat woody plants, especially twigs of willows and such shrubs as hazel, dogwoods and mountain maple. In the winter they eat mainly pine shoots, bark
and twigs. In summer, leaves are the main item of diet.
Elks usually live alone. Elks main enemies are bears and wolves.
In Norway the elks are called "the king of the forest".
The elks position in Vennesla
The elk is a shy animal, but it's not unusual to see one when you take a walk in the forest. You don't get to surprised if you see one, "everybody" has seen one. And many have its famous footprint in their garden. Norway is very sparsely populated compared to its size, so there's a lot of unused area, nature, and therefore we have much nature around our houses. Vennesla is a population of 10000 humans and is situated close to a big city. Then when you look out of your window you can always see a tree or two. Therefore the elk can come very close upon our lives. There's a lot of elk here so some has to come around our houses. We have so many elks here so we have too hunt them too keep a healthy elk size in the district. If they get too many it can get critical for other animal rises.
SQUIRREL (SCIURUS VULGARIS)
bright gray towhite gray.In cm ca 24 cm. The tail is 14-19 cm. Waight intill
390 g, biggest in the northen parts of the coutry
THE HEAD
Leght intill 4.8 cm over and under parts of the mouth
POPULATION
Most parts of Europe, and east throughtSibir and Japan
IN NORWAY
In the whole coutry if there is wood there. It is lot of squirrel in south- Norway
In deeper parts, very few in Troms and Finnmark.Variate from year to year.
Often together withthe treee seed overflow.
LIVING WAY
Variating walks often in-groups. No sosial,it looks like evry animal has his part
Of the wood. Active from arly day with more rest periode on the day. Sleeps
On night, live most in the trees very fast, can do jumps on 2-3 m and runs with
The heads down down the trees. The nest easly made of sticks together with
Grass and hair inside intill the stock in a very fast growing tree area
Every individ has often many nests. Resting-place, in hole in trees.
Sometimes in houses and birdhouses. Hide food under trees and buches.
No winter sleep,but active only on small parts on the morning
SOUNDS
A gurgling tjuk, tjuk, tjuk, or other gurgling moring and peeping sounds