I remember learning this at a zoo when I was a kid. They had these mock up of different animal ears you could stick your head in that pointed at a open area near a food court, and you could hear better.

moose's still gotta pay the subscription fee for XM though

Best picture ever; you have to love a happy Moose. I wonder if he dances like a white guy.

Ok they got some numbers but this have been known for like 30 years maybe? I have a friend that have a picture confirming the moose running away with his rifle on the antlers, they thought it was dead and was going to take a posing picture.

@Curves:

AND WHAT WOULD BE WRONG WITH THAT?????????

Are they more efficient than those batman phones? Perhaps we should be hawking antlers to old people ...

@mtopper: That picture cracked me up so much, I just got a mental pic of him doing the half-beat-off-everyone-else-shaking-his-groove-thang-white-guy-dance. (Hey, I do the white girl thang in 4" heels, imagine how funny that looks especally if you add alcohol.)

Okay. But are the moose pissed off about the lousey programing on radio?

That pic is my new wallpaper! ha!

Probably why I only see cows and young bulls when I'm hunting.

Seems more coincidental than anything. Antlers are for display and competition; their funky shape evolved through species recognition. Why does a full-grown bull moose need to improve it's hearing? To my knowledge nothing preys on a mature bull moose (except occasional hunters, but that's more recent).

I'm not saying this isn't interesting, but to be careful what conclusions you draw from it.

I call BULLWINKLE!

I wonder if this will affect antenna or hearing aid design in any way. Do the horn stubs contribute for instance? Are there lessons to be learned about bone conduction?

@YankBoffin: I would argue that the fact of significant sound amplification by moose antlers is indication in itself of some evolutionary advantage. It seems probable, for example, that bulls with better hearing could find mates more quickly, efficiently, and often. Be careful that you don't limit their uses to display and competition in the face of obvious counter-evidence, especially when the "new" use doesn't affect either.

Is there an iPod in that boombox? I think so :)

[www.lehigh.edu]

@Curves:

I'm wit ya. And for the record, I am usually at least a beat and a half behind everybody else (without alchohol). Liking the weather changes lately?

They don't really amplify the sound. To do that you need some sort of amp that actually takes the sound signal and amplifies it. This is just physics where the antlers focus the sound towards a specific region. Try cupping your hands behind your ears in a parabola shape for a similar effect.

@GotMex?:

my hands wont conform to a parabola shape. will a nipple and breast shape work?

Fortunately (or unfortunately), they ignore most sounds and use their eyes to determine danger.

I've ran up on plenty of moose on snowmobiles and boats.

Why is it that moose (mooses?) need better hearing? To be able to hear where they dropped their iPhone by listening for the ring!

Too bad when Mr. Moose hears a "bang" he's already dead.

plural of goose = geese

plural of moose = moose

plural of elk = elk

so why not a herd of meese? or elks?

true story. my high school mascot was an elk. we were the elkton elks. it wasn't until years later that i approached our superintendent and said, "you know, our mascot isn't really even a word. there is no such thing as elks." he looked at me strangely. had i been in high school, i can assume i would have been in detention for a few days after school.

oh well.