Question Sheet: Missing Moose

By Science News Explores

SCIENCE

Before reading:

  1. What is a moose? Have you ever seen one? 

  2. Where do moose live?

During reading:

  1. How has the moose population changed in Isle Royale? 

  2. John Pastor remarks that “we have an obligation to moose.” Why does he say

    that? 

  3. How much do moose eat? How does this eating affect forests? 

  4. How did scientists in Sweden simulate the way moose eat? Why did they do

    this? 

  5. How are wolf populations linked to moose populations? See www.isleroyalewolf.org(Michigan Technological University). 

  6. Describe how global warming might affect moose populations.

After reading:

  1. Moose populations can cause damage to forests. What other animals can

    seriously harm forests? See www.bugwood.org/pestcontrol/vertpests.html(Bugwood Network). 

  2. In what ways are moose equipped for cold weather? See www.nps.gov/akso/ParkWise/Students/ReferenceLibrary/BELA/

    ArcticAdaptations.htm

    (National Park Service). 

  3. Describe three ways in which human populations affect moose. 

  4. What does an ecologist do? How do you become one? See www.uga.edu/srel/ecoviews2-4-01.htm(University of Georgia). 

  5. Why do researchers attach tracking collars to moose? See wildlife.state.co.us/Education/StudentActivities/MooseTrack.htm

    (Colorado Division of Wildlife).

SOCIAL STUDIES

How do moose appear in Swedish culture? Find an example of moose in legends or traditional crafts from Sweden. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose(Wikipedia).

LANGUAGE ARTS

  1. How are moose portrayed in children’s books? Find two examples of moose in

    stories. Describe what type of characters they are. 

  2. When people write about animals, they sometimes make the animals seem like

    people. Why might this be a problem?

MATHEMATICS

A moose tracking system showed that one moose was at a location given by latitude 39.146 degrees and longitude 107.483 degrees. At the same moment, a second moose was at latitude 39.132 degrees and longitude 107.483 degrees. How far apart (in meters and in feet) were the two moose? See wildlife.state.co.us/Education/StudentActivities/MooseTrack.htm (Colorado Division of Wildlife).