Grooming by moose (Alces alces) infested with the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus (Acari): a mechanism for premature loss of winter hair

Abstract

Grooming behaviors of 13 captive moose (Alces alces) experimentally infested with winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) were identified, quantified, and compared with those of 11 uninfested moose form October to June. Grooming by infested moose was more frequent and of longer duration than grooming by uninfested moose. It occurred extensively in March and April, when ticks were gorging on blood, and resulted in premature loss of winter hair. Uninfested moose groomed little throughout the study and only lost hair in May and June as part of the spring molt. Grooming by infested moose diminished in May and June, when ticks had dropped from moose. Grooming behaviors included licking/biting, rubbing, scratching with the hooves, and shaking. The implications of these behaviors for moose are discussed.