This is about as lopsided a victory as you’ll see in the Animal Kingdom, and it played out in the Colorado town of Steamboat Springs.
It’s very normal for a couple of moose to battle with one another, and it’s typically over territory or a potential mate. Very rarely does the fight get captured on camera, so consider yourself lucky to see this video below, which was shared by Colorado meteorologist Joe Ruch.
There are only around 3,000 to 3,500 moose that are estimated to be living in Colorado. Though there are plenty of other states that boast a whole lot more (Alaska has a whopping 175,000), the state of Colorado does have the fastest growing moose population in the lower 48.
And we know where at least two of them were a couple of days ago.
Regularly, two moose clashing paddles during rutting season – which runs from the middle of September to the middle of October (we’re right in the middle of it) – are posturing more than anything else. Though many would assume they are trying to injure the other with their massive antlers, they are typically just attempting to see which of them can push the other the hardest.
That being said… it looks like one of the moose in this battle didn’t get that memo. It was trying to put its opponent on his you-know-what, and that’s a rather lofty goal considering just how massive moose are. Moving one takes a lot of mass and a lot of force.
And in case you didn’t know, moose are the largest of all deer in the deer family, and their height and weight might surprise you. Males are typically bigger than females, but both are still massive creatures. On average, bull moose usually stand at six feet tall at their shoulders, and can even weigh up to 1,400 pounds. Females usually measure at five feet tall and weigh anywhere from 800 to 1,000 pounds.
The two moose in this video look to be fully grown, and they were going all out in a fight that took place on and around a street in Steamboat Springs (call it a street fight, eh?). It was quite the sight to see, especially when one of the wild animals started to really showcase its power and sparring ability.
I’m not an expert on moose quarrels, but one of these seemed to be a very experienced fighter, and the other… well it got its antlers handed to it. During multiple points of the scuffle, the losing moose was put on its knees or on its back. You’ve got to give it some credit for continuing to get back up time and time again. However, it never was able to best the other moose, which really set the tone early in the face-off and finished things off with a move that had the losing moose running for the hills.
The clanking and clunking of the antlers was rather cool to hear as well… check it out:
“Powerful moose brawl breaks out in Steamboat Springs.”
P.S. – That Jeep didn’t want ANY of the smoke as it sped on past, and I don’t blame them one bit.
