VIDEO: Moose Fights an Entire Wolf Pack

This video shows a moose trying to fight off an entire wolf pack.

There are constant battles in the wild.

Animals have gotten used to fighting for territory, for supremacy and for food.

Kill or be killed! Eat or be eaten!

One moose against a pack of wolves – who do you bet on?

According to Live Science, moose are large ungulates (hoofed mammals) identified by their long, rounded snouts; huge, flattened antlers; humped back; thin legs; and massive bodies. These animals live in the northern United States, Canada and Europe. In North America, they are called moose; in Europe, they are called Eurasian elk.

Moose are the largest members of the deer family. They are also the tallest mammals in North America. Their height, from hoof to shoulder, ranges from 5 to 6.5 feet (1.5 to 2 meters). Males are heavier than females; males weigh 794 to 1,323 pounds (360 to 600 kilograms), while females weigh 595 to 882 pounds (270 to 400 kg).

Moose have short tails, a hump on their shoulders and large ears that can rotate to give them stereophonic hearing. Their fur is generally brown or black and provides excellent insulation from the cold. Male moose, called bulls, have massive antlers.

These can grow 6 feet (1.8 m)wide from tip to tip. Antlers are only used for fighting for a mate, and they are shed each winter after mating season, which runs from September to October.

Moose live only in areas that have seasonal snow cover. The animals prefer colder climates.

They cannot tolerate temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) for long because they cannot sweat, and the fermentation caused by their digestion creates a large amount of heat, according to Animal Diversity Web (ADW), a database maintained by the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology.

Moose are considered the least social animal. They are solitary animals, except when it comes to mating. During mating season, some dominant male moose in Alaska will herd a group of females together to create a “harem herd.” Other males will fight the leader of the herd for the right to mate with the females.

The moose’s most active times are at sunrise and at sunset. They spend their time finding new grazing spots, eating and resting to let their food digest, while always being wary of nearby predators, which include bears, wolves and cougars.

Moose is an Algonquin (a Native American tribe) term that means “twig eater”. This is a good generalization of what moose eat in the wild. They tend to graze on the leaves, bark, pine cones, twigs and buds of trees and shrubs. They also like to eat aquatic plants like water lilies.

Moose have four-chambered stomachs, as do cows. They regurgitate partially digested food and “chew their cud,” according to Kevin Jackson, author of “Moose” (Reaktion Books, 2008). Food is fermented in the first chamber, and nutrients are extracted in the next three.

The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species categorizes moose as “least concern” because they are very widespread and extremely abundant despite fairly intense hunting. The global population of moose is estimated to be about 1.5 million and increasing. The Caucasian moose was hunted to extinction by the early 19th century.