Most people can get a little weird from walking alone in the forest for a long time. But for the moose it is relatively normal. That’s why the researchers were very surprised when they saw a moose cow bend down and eat the faeces of another moose. Senior researcher Christer Moe Rolandsen at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research is researching the moose in Norway. Photo: Arnstein Staverløkk – You don’t expect ruminants to do this here, says senior researcher Christer Moe Rolandsen at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). This is the first time it has been documented that a moose eats the faeces of another moose. The moose cow in Meråker, with the sounding name C2209, is part of a research project. Therefore, she was equipped with a small video camera that filmed her journey through the forest. It was when Rolandsen and his colleagues checked the recordings from there that they discovered the special meal. – Either it was a coincidence, or it was because it was in a period of little business and this was considered relevant, speculates Rolandsen. It was Forskning.no that wrote about the case first. Facts about moose Photo: Trond Berg / news Norway’s largest conifer mammal, with a shoulder height of up to 2.3 metres. In winter, it feeds on shoots, small branches and bark of various deciduous trees, juniper, pine and spruce; in the summer of grass, herbs and leaves, with a preference for marsh and water vegetation. A few bulls live to be 15 years old or more, while the cow can live to be 20-25 years old. The elk lives alone except during the mating season. Source; Store Norske Lexikon, Wikipedia and the Elgjegeren The special meal happened in the forest in Meråker one day in May. Common in several animals Rabbits like cuddles, but they also like to treat themselves to faeces every now and then. Photo: news Is it seeing shit, or is it just happy to see its owner? Dogs can occasionally eat other animals’ feces. Photo: Animal Protection Coprophagy is the fancy word for eating faeces. Although it may (hopefully) sound a bit disgusting, it is not unusual in the animal kingdom. Because hares, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, but also dogs can eat poo, among other things. – This is part of the behavior of many animals, says Rolandsen. Some people eat crap to get extra nutrition. In other species, for example, cubs eat their mother’s faeces to transfer the intestinal flora and improve their immune system. But the faeces can also spread diseases and parasites between animals. A main theory The meal of C2209 is so sensational that a research paper has been written about it. Rolandsen is still far from certain whether this is reliable proof that moose regularly eat faeces. – I don’t think this is common in moose. At the same time, we do not go around observing the animals around the clock, all year round. We can’t be too sure about that much, he says. Because it may be that in periods where there is little food to be found, the moose will eat the food it finds. – There is certainly some food left in the moose dung that can be utilised, says Rolandsen. If it were to show that eating faeces is common in moose and other deer, it could also contribute to increasing the understanding of how some diseases are transmitted in these animals. – At the same time, we don’t know. Perhaps it was a coincidence that cannot be explained by rational choice. Perhaps the elk gets important nutrition from eating other elk’s faeces. Moose droppings also come out as scum in the summer and as dry balls in the winter? Photo: Private photo
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Filmed moose eating faeces – researchers have never seen the species do this before – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
