вЂњThe soundscape - the cacophony of sounds that define a landscape - is very important to animals in their communication with each other and in their ability to listen to their environment,вЂќ said Tim Mullet, a doctoral candidate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, currently involved in a two-year study of the relationship between sounds and moose on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The snapping of nearby twigs or rustling brush could mean that a predator, such as a bear or wolf, is on the hunt nearby. To human ears, seagull shrieks and squirrel chatter may come more readily to ears and mind as the noises of the natural world, but moose can be plenty noisy, as well, using a variety of sounds to signal their intentions year-round.Д«ulls rustle brush with their racks and grunt to females during the fall breeding season, cows emit soft whines and mews, and hidden calves bleat when theyвЂ™re hungry to call their mom back to them.Д®qually important to moose is their ability to hear sounds for their survival. The natural world is filled with the sounds of animals communicating with each other.

The study will attempt to better understand the effects sound, such as that produced by snowmachines, has on moose. Moose, such as this spike-fork seen earlier this winter in the Caribou Hills, are the subject of an ongoing study being conducted on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Joseph Robertia, Redoubt Reporter.

Moose sounds