Understanding Ancient Moose Populations in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Abstract

Moose ( Alces alces ) are an iconic symbol of contemporary Rocky Mountain ecosystems, and their growing abundance in Colorado and other portions of the Southern Rockies has inspired debate around their regional prehistory prior to their 20th century translocation. The Early Holocene biogeography of moose in North America is poorly characterised, due in part to their life history and logistical obstacles to their archaeozoological and biomolecular identification. Even in areas where moose are well‐established today, they are often underrepresented in archaeological assemblages. Here, we assess the premodern presence of moose in the Colorado Rockies, determining that a robust historic record for moose and poor characterisation of the archaeozoological record prior to the 19th century make it scientifically inaccurate to frame moose as ‘non‐native’ within the context of contemporary management. Location Rocky Mountains, North America. Time Period Holocene (12,000 BP—present). Taxon Alces alces . Methods We conducted a review of moose sightings in historical archives (newspapers, photos, journals, and other written accounts), ethnohistoric sources (stories, songs, oral traditions), and identifications of moose in published archaeozoological assemblages from Colorado and the Southern Rockies. Results Findings reveal a clear record for premodern moose presence in the Southern Rockies stretching back to the earliest reliable written accounts, including regular presence of female and juvenile moose, pointing to local reproduction. Archaeological assemblages include a number of premodern moose identifications dating back to the Early Holocene, corroborated by the widespread reference to moose in ethnohistoric sources from Native nations in the Southern Rockies. Main Conclusions Historical and ancient data demonstrate that moose have a deep history as part of the faunal communities of the Southern Rockies, including Colorado. As rising moose populations change contemporary wildlife management choices, decision‐makers should include careful assessment of cultural and paleoecological datasets and interdisciplinary partnerships to help build effective and accurate management plans for public and private lands.

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