Wet and Wild Montana Moose

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While Donald M. Jones was photographing loons in Kilbrennan Lake in Montana last July, this cow moose waded into the water nearby. “I heard this splashing, turned, and there she was,” says Jones. “She came in and fed on those grasses, diving down all the way under except for her hump, and going out deeper and deeper. She’d get so deep she couldn’t touch the bottom anymore, lose her footing, and then start floating almost on her side.” Donald M. Jones

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After rising back out of the water, she’d come up, shake off, and eat. “Then she’d kick around and go back down, like a person in a pool,” said Jones. Donald M. Jones

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The moose was also trying to avoid bugs. “There was a cloud of flies over her, and when she’d dive they all went above her hump–800 or more of them–and I was out in the bugs, too, and all I could think was what a relief it would be get away from them for a moment.” Donald M. Jones

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And the floppiness of her ears and nose? Jones attributes that to the speed of his 600 mm lens camera. “You see animals shake all the time, but it’s one of those things that happens so fast it doesn’t really become interesting unless it’s in that single frame–it’s common, but not commonly caught or realized.” Keep clicking ahead to see more of these rare photos. Donald M. Jones