Today’s Halloween, so here’s a moose brain. It’s about the size of a grapefruit.
While this post is a lighthearted holiday entry, the brain shown here is undergoing important scientific research that may help people better understand the moose population in Minnesota. I helped extract this brain from a bull moose harvested up the Echo Trail near Ely, MN, earlier this month. At the time, I was assisting the MDNR with the moose check-in and sampling station in Ely.
Scientists know that a brain parasite fatal to moose is causing moose mortality, and that the parasite is carried by white tailed deer. The full extent and effect of the brain parasite issue is still being researched.