Description:
The moose, the largest living member of the family that includes deer and elk, is the beneficiary of a rare change of environmental fortune that has worked out to nature's advantage. Thanks to careful conservation policies, the moose has expanded its range significantly in the last century, growing in numbers and spreading beyond its native range throughout subarctic North America and Eurasia to new homes in the southern Rocky Mountains and southern Scandinavia. Russian-born scientist Valerius Geist, a longtime contributor to National Geographic and other popular publications, here offers a highly readable, affectionate, and entertaining natural history of the moose. In text accompanied by Michael Francis's color photographs, Geist explains why moose are small in some places and large in others (the more mature the plant environment in which it lives, the smaller the moose); discusses migratory patterns, mating habits, social organization, and other aspects of ecology; and honors the moose's highly developed intelligence ("moose," he writes, "are programmed for learning"). With continued conservation efforts and continued goodwill on the part of humans, Geist foresees a healthy future for the moose, even in the face of global climate change that threatens the creature's favored habitats. --Gregory McNamee
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