iN VIDEO: Young moose goes for swim in Shuswap Lake

Jane Turnbull O’Connor was enjoying the lake view with a friend at her summer home in Blind Bay one recent morning when something unusual went swimming past her moored boat.

A young moose was plowing through Shuswap Lake at a pretty fast clip. 

“My friend looked out and said, ‘what is that?’ It looked like a bird with its wings out, but as the moose got closer, we realized it was its ears,” she said.

O’Connor sat quietly taking a video, enjoying the nature moment while her friend got the neighbour’s kids to come out and watch.

“It was really close to shore, it was cool, we’ve never seen this before,” O’Connor said. “It was swimming fast, it looked like it was on a mission.”

Moose are the largest member of the deer family, can weigh up to 600 kilograms and stand taller than a horse, according to Sierra Club BC. 

They are found across Canada and Alaska in swamps and woodlands where they snack on twigs, bark and plants.

The ungulates can dive 20 feet underwater and stay under the surface for half a minute while grabbing plants at the bottom of rivers and lakes. The use their huge nostrils as valves to keep water out while diving.

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