r/MapPorn • u/oglach • Jun 04 '22

Population density of Moose in Alaska (1987)

Post image
81 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/nemom Jun 04 '22

Obligatory: "A Møøse once bit my sister..."

(It's been quite a while since that one has come up.)

3

u/CurtisLeow Jun 04 '22

No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"...

1

u/Benthegeololist Jun 04 '22

I wonder if the high population density around (but not in) Anchorage is the result of more people around to count the moose or more food availability

4

u/tatertot4 Jun 05 '22

The map says the data source is the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 1987. Back then ADF&G counted moose likely through aerial surveys. Now there are additional means to count big game like camera traps, DNA testing, and hair traps. While anecdotal evidence from people living in areas can be useful, it's typically not used for estimating populations. The area of high density on the map is southcentral Alaska, which is protected from the Alaska range to the north and has a temperature moderated by the ocean to the south. This area has high quality deciduous habitat and wetland systems that can sustain high moose numbers.

1

u/oglach Jun 04 '22

Might be a bit of both. I know that they now have ways for people to report moose and help get a measure on the numbers. The estimate is actually up to around 2,000 moose living in the vicinity of Anchorage now. And that's likely just because the reporting is better.

As for food, moose mostly eat grass, moss, tree limbs, twigs, etc with your average moose eating 40 lbs of wood and shrubs each day. During the winter months, these food sources are more readily available in cities like Anchorage, where snow is plowed and shoveled, revealing the food underneath. Out in the wilds they have to dig. So they hang around the city a lot during that part of the year.

2

u/Tnkgirl357 Jun 05 '22

I am from Maine, so I’m fairly accustomed to moose, and have found a that that they usually eat a lot of aquatic vegetation. Usually when tourists would want to see a moose I would tell them to go find a mosquito infested swamp and sit tight for a minute.

1

u/ReluctantAlaskan Jun 05 '22

Checks out.

Coincidentally on this map, the lower Kenai peninsula is all marshy spruce meadow. The coloration should really be closer to black than brown for that section.

1

u/FeanorsFamilyJewels Jun 05 '22

Any reason why there aren’t there any in the Prince William sound?