Next up in my series of wintering and preparing for the launch of This is the Boat that Ben Built: a look at what the moose is up to!

Illustrations Maggie Zeng © 2022

Moose tolerate cold weather much better than they tolerate hot weather, but food is scarce and they must conserve their energy to make it through this season. Moose adapt by restricting their food intake and passing much of the winter resting and ruminating. Their hooves act like snowshoes, providing a large surface area to support their movement over the snow. They also use their hooves to look for food. Moose mostly eat twigs and shrubs like balsam fir, poplar, red osier dogwood, birch, willow, and red and striped maples in the winter. If food gets very scarce, moose will strip and eat the bark from trees.

Like the black bear, moose have two kinds of fur on their back that keeps them well insulated in the winter. A wooly layer of fur traps air next to their bodies, and air is also trapped inside the longer hollow guard hairs that make up the top layer of their fur.

Besides waiting for spring, one moose in my life can’t wait for the launch of This is the Boat that Ben Built. How about you? Preorder now!