Taken in Rocky Mountain National Park, this mother moose and her two young calves were browsing among the willow trees in late September. Moose populations have been on the decline in the subarctic United States for several years now and no one seems to know why. They are usually lone animals and can live up to 20 years in the wild. The calves are about 25 pounds at birth and take several years to reach full maturity. An adult bull moose can have a rack six feet wide and weigh up to 1,800 pounds. Even though they are very large, they can run with speeds up to 35 miles per hour and can swim for up to 10 miles without stopping. Impressive! They are the second largest land mammals in North America outweighed only by the bison.br/ br/ I took this image as I was standing behind a tree some distance away, with my mother of all people! My mother, being another lover of all animals, stood by me as we enjoyed watching them interact with each other. It was one of those magical moments when time seemed to stand still.