This collection of student work is from Frank Keim's classes. He wants to share these works for others to use as an example of culturally-based curriculum and documentation. These documents have been OCR-scanned and are available for educational use only.Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O
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Alces alces - The Moose: (Alces alces) The Moose The moose is the largest member in the deer family and in the world. They occur in suitable habitat from the Stikine River in the Alaska panhandle to the Colville River on the Arctic Slope. They're most abundant in the second growth birch forests, timberline plateaus and along the major rivers of Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Moose are long-legged in the extreme, short-bodied, with a drooping nose, a dewlap under the chin, no apparent tail, mostly a brindled brown color, although this depends on the season and the age of the animal. The hair of a newborn calf is orange brown fading to a lighter rust color as it gets older. Newborn calves weigh 28 to 35 pounds and grow over 300 pounds within five months. Adult males in prime condition weigh from 1000 to 1600 pounds, and females weigh from 800 to 1200 pounds. Only the bulls have antlers. The largest antlers in North America are found in Alaska. In the wild, moose may live over 20 years old. Moose breed in the fall, with "rut" activities coming late in September and early October. Cow moose first breed when they are 16 to 28 months old. They begin to mature at 16 months. Cows have twins and sometimes even triplets if there is enough food. Most calves are born in muskeg areas, and the cow will defend her newborn calf against even a grizzly bear. Calves begin taking solid food a few days after birth and are weaned in the fall, when the mother is ready to breed again. During fall and winter, moose feed on birch, willow, and aspen. In the springtime they feed on horsetail, pond weeds, and grass. In the summer they feed on vegetation in shallow ponds. Their main summer diet is the leaves of birch, willow, alder, and aspen. Moose is an important source of food for Alaska Natives and once was used for clothing and implements. Moose are also an important part of the Alaska landscape because thousands of tourists photograph them. Man's removal of mature timber through logging and careless use of fire has been beneficial to moose. Young birch and willows have created vast areas of high quality moose habitat. The future will be bright for the species if man learns not to overhunt them and to manipulate habitat so that too many moose won't ruin future food supply.
By:Tatiana Sergie | |
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