A young bull moose enjoys a wet meal of aquatic plants in Maroon Lake, Colorado on August 14, 2025.

Moose seek shallow lakes where they feed on submerged vegetation for the sodium mineral concentrated in the underwater plants. Moose generally don't receive enough sodium from their terrestrial diet. Aquatic plants like lilies and pondweed hold critical nutrients they need to rebuild their fuel reserves for the upcoming winter.

This young bull is estimated to be 2-3 years old and is a regular swimmer in the shallow lake at the base of the scenic Maroon Bells mountains near Aspen, Colorado.

On this day, the popular Maroon Bells Scenic Trail has to be closed to keep him away from visitors who may not understand the unpredictable, and potentially dangerous, behavior of moose around people.

Video filmed in the mid afternoon with a Sony A7SIII camera using 50mm and 700mm Nikon lenses.