MOOSE (ELK): CHARACTERISTICS, SIZE, HABITAT, SUBSPECIES

MOOSE AND EUROPEAN ELK

male and female Alaskan moose, the largest moose subspecies

Moose (Alces alces) are also known as elks, Eurasian moose and American moose. Although their appearance is very different from other deer: moose are deer. Not only that, moose are the world's tallest, largest and heaviest species of deer and the only species in the genus Alces. They are also one of the largest deer of all time and the second-largest, land animal in North America, just behind American bison in terms of weight. [Source: Wikipedia John Madson, Smithsonian magazine]

Moose are large ungulates (hoofed mammals) identified by their long, rounded snouts; huge, flattened antlers; and massive bodies.Most adult male moose have broad, palmate ("open-hand shaped") antlers; other members of the deer family have pointed antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose inhabit the circumpolar boreal forests or temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere, thriving in cooler, temperate areas as well as subarctic climates.

Moose live in the northern United States and Canada, where they are called moose, and in Europe, Russia and northern Asia, where they are they are called Eurasian elk. Moose is an Algonquin (a Native American tribe) term that means "twig eater." Male moose are called bulls. Females are called cows. Young moose of either sex is a calf. The plural of "moose" is "moose" — not "mooses" and not "meese." The plural is the same as the singular in many words that come from Native American languages. The same is true of many wildlife names not of Indian origin — for example: deer, mink and grouse." [Source: Alina Bradford, Live Science, November 13, 2014 ^|^]

Book: "Moose" by Kevin Jackson (Reaktion Books, 2008). Sources: A) Animal Diversity Web (ADW), a database maintained by the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology. B) American Museum of Natural History: Moose. C) National Wildlife Foundation: Mighty Moose! D) National Geographic: Moose. E) Minnesota Zoo: Moose Facts. E) Moose With 'Helicopter' Moms Make Better Survivors. F) Malnutrition Could Cause Arthritis, At Least in Moose. G) Shark Beached After Choking on Moose.

Moose Taxonomy and Names

moose range

The European elk is almost identical to an American moose. Thus when Europeans talk about an elk they are usually referring to what Americans call a moose. Efforts to end the confusion by using the term "wapati" (the Shawnee Indian name for elk) in the United States have failed. The European elk is slightly smaller than moose found in North America.

Moose are part of the Cervidae family, which includes deer (cervids), caribou, moose and wapiti (elk). The taxonomy of moose, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), is: Kingdom: Animalia; Subkingdom: Bilateria ; Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia ; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Infraphylum: Gnathostomata; Superclass: Tetrapoda; Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria; Infraclass: Eutheria; Order: Artiodactyla: Family: Cervidae : Subfamily: Capreolinae; Genus & species: Alces alces, Alces americanus (American moose) [Source: Alina Bradford, Live Science, November 13, 2014 ^|^]

Moose have traditionally been classified as a single species and a monotypic genus. But some scientists divide them into two species: the European species (Alces alces) and the North American species (Alces americanus) The division of moose into two species by morphological differences and evidence that European moose have 68 chromosomes and North American moose have 70. It is now known that moose in Central Asia (Yakutia) also have 70 chromosomes and share mitochondrial DNA halotypes with European and North American moose. Furthermore, moose exhibit low variability in mitochondrial DNA worldwide and have relatively low overall genetic diversity compared to other mammals. It is more likely that all extant lineages of moose originated from Central Asia within the last 60,000 years, supporting a single species hypothesis rather than a two or three species hypothesis. [Source: Daniel De Bord, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Moose Subspecies

illustration of the now extinct Caucasian Elk

European Elk (Alces alces alces) live in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Estonia and Russia. They once lived in but are no longer present in central and western Europe except for certain places in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and northern Ukraine, They have been sighted in eastern Germany and formerly ranged into France, Switzerland and the Benelux nations. European elk are mid-sized moose. Shoulder height ranges from 1.7 to 2.1 meters (5.6 to 6.9 feet) Males weigh about 320 to 475 kilograms (705 to 1,047 pounds) and females weigh 275 to 375 kilograms (606 to 827 pounds) [Source: Wikipedia]

Yakutia Elk (Alces alces pfizenmayeri) are also called Mid-Siberian elk and Lena elk. They reside in Eastern Siberia, Mongolia and Manchuria, mostly in forests of eastern Russia, and are the most common elk subspecies in Asia. Their range extends from the Yenisei River in the west across most of Siberia, but excludes the ranges of the Chukotka and Ussuri elk to the east and northern Mongolia.They are a middle-sized subspecies. Females weighs 340 to 420 kilograms (750 to 926 pounds); Males weigh 450 to 500 kilograms (992 to 1,102 pounds) on average.

Manchurian Elk (Alces alces cameloides) are also known as Ussuri elk and Amur elk. The smallest subspecies of moose, they occur from the Amur-Ussuri region of far eastern Russia into northeastern China. These elk are different from other elk subspecies in that their antler size is much smaller, or they lack antlers all together. Even adult bulls' antlers are small and cervine, with little palmation. Both males and females standi only 1.65 to 1.85 meters (5.4 to 6.1 feet) at the shoulder and weigh between 200 and 350 kilograms (441 and 772 pounds).

East Siberian Elk (Alces alces buturlini) are also called Chukotka elk. The largest subspecies in Eurasia, they are found in the Russian Far East (eastern Siberia) from the Alazeya River basin east to the Kolyma and Anadyr basins and south through the Koryak range and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Males can grow up to 2.15 meters (7 feet 1 inches) tall and weigh between 500 and 725 kilograms (1,102 and 1,598 pounds); females are a little smaller.

Eastern Moose (Alces alces americana) live in Eastern Canada, including eastern Ontario, all of Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces and the northeastern United States, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and northern New York near the Adirondack Mountains. They are fairly small-bodied. Female weighs 270 kilograms (595 pounds), males weigh 365 kilograms (805 pounds) on average. Males stand approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) at the shoulder. Their population is increasing.

Western Moose (Alces alces andersoni) are found in British Columbia to western Ontario, the eastern Yukon, the Northwest Territories, southwestern Nunavut, Michigan (the Upper Peninsula), northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. They are a middle-sized subspecies. Females weighs 340 to 420 kilograms (750 to 926 pounds); Males weigh 450 to 500 kilograms (992 to 1,102 pounds) on average.

Alaskan Moose (Alces alces gigas) live in Alaska and the western Yukon. They are the largest subspecies in North America and the world and the largest living deer in the world. The largest one shot on record weighed 820 kilograms (1,808 pounds), and was 2.33 meters (7.6 feet) tall at the shoulder.

Shiras' Moose (Alces alces shirasi) are also called or Yellowstone moose. They live in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The smallest subspecies in North America, adults weigh about 230 to 344 kilograms (507 to 758 pounds).

Caucasian Elk (Alces alces caucasicus) are extinct. They lived in The Caucasus Mountains un Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and North and West Iran. They became extinct due to habitat loss and overhunting.

Eurasian Moose and American Moose

Eurasian moose and American moose are the same species, Alces alces. However, some scientists consider them to be two distinct species, Alces alces (Eurasian) and Alces americana (American). The American moose is often larger and has more palmated antlers than its Eurasian counterpart. Some researchers suggest that the North American subspecies of Alces alces have more chromosomes than the European subspecies.

Eurasian moose and American moose share similar physical features like a heavy brown body, humped shoulders, long legs, and a thick, overhanging muzzle. Both are browsers, feeding on leaves, twigs, buds, and bark of woody plants. They both inhabit northern regions, including coniferous forests of Canada and the northern United States for the American moose, and from Scandinavia to Eastern Siberia for the Eurasian moose.

Some say that American moose are slightly larger than Eurasian moose. The Alaska moose, a subspecies of the American moose, is known to be the largest. Antlers in American moose are often larger than those in Eurasian moose and have two lobes on each side, resembling a butterfly. Eurasian moose antlers resemble a seashell, with a single lobe on each side.

North American moose subspecies

In North America, the species is known as the moose. However, in Europe, the term "elk" is used to refer to this same species. In North America, "elk" refers to a different large deer species, the wapiti.

Moose Habitat and Range

Most moose prefer swampy, boggy habitats but are also found in woodlands and even mountains. They only live in areas that have seasonal snow cover and are comfortable in temperatures down to -43 degrees C (-45 degrees F) but become uncomfortable in temperatures above 27 degrees C (80 degrees F) because they cannot sweat, and the fermentation caused by their digestion creates a large amount of heat. They often seek water when the temperature gets that high to cool off. . They need sufficient forage and came not tolerate snow depths greater than 70 centimeters for long periods and snow this deep makes them vulnerable to attacks from wolves who don’t sink into deep snow as much as moose. [Source: Alina Bradford. Live Science]

Moose have a circumpolar distribution in the wetlands and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. In Eurasia, moose range from Scandinavia, Poland and southern Czech Republic in the west across Siberia and Russia to the Russian Far East. The southern limit of their range extends into Ukraine, northern Kazakhstan, northern China and northern Mongolia. In North America, moose are found throughout much of Alaska and Canada and the northern states of the contiguous United States as far south as Utah, Colorado, New York and Connecticut. Temperatures above 27 degrees C may be what limits their southern distribution. [Source: Daniel De Bord, Animal Diversity Web (ADW)]

Moose can be found in a range of habitats, including wetlands tundra-subalpine zone, boreal forests (taiga), temperate broadleaf forests and mixed (coniferous-deciduous) forests. Within these forests, they prefer the early successional stage, where forage is in abundance due to disturbance. Fire, logging, flooding, or glacial action, which greatly increases the quality and quantity of forage for moose and, ultimately, affects moose density. Moose often seek out areas near water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers and swamps, which also have a concentration of their favorite foods. In North America they are often found near streams or ponds where there are willows and see shade in the summer.

Moose Size

Bull (male) moose are the size of large horses. They stands about two meters (6.6 feet) high at the shoulder, reaches lengths of three meters (10 feet) and weigh an average of 410 kilograms (900 pounds), with large ones on the Alaskan Kenai peninsula standing seven tall at the shoulder and weighing as much over 800 kilograms (1,775 pounds). According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest moose ever recorded was an 810-kilogram (1,800-pound) animal, standing 2.3 meters (7.6 feet) tall. It was shot in the Yukon territory in September 1897.

The height of moose, from hoof to shoulder, ranges from 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 feet). Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Cows (female) are about three fourths the size of males. Males weigh 360 to 600 kilograms (794 to 1,323 pounds), while females weigh 270 to 400 kilograms (595 to 882 pounds) according to the National Museum of Natural History. [Source:Alina Bradford, Live Science, November 13, 2014]

At the peak of their growth cycle, a bull moose can put on up to a pound of bone per day. Eurasian elk range in weight from 270 to 600 kilograms (595 to 1,321 pounds) and range in length from 2.3 to 3.1 meters (7.55 to 10.17 feet). American moose range in weight from 270 to 771 kilograms (595 to 1,700 pounds) and range in length from 2.4 to 3.2 meters (7.9 to 10.5 feet). The largest subspecies of moose, Alaskan moose (Moose gigas) have a maximum weight of 771 kilograms for males and 573 kilograms (1,263 pounds) for females. [Source: Tanya Dewey; Anne Bartalucci; Bret Weinstein, Daniel De Bord, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Moose Characteristics

Moose are usually dark brown in color and have a hump on their shoulders and large ears that can rotate to give them stereophonic hearing. They have short, stubby tails; thin legs; beady eyes, bristly hair and a large head with a broad, flexible, fleshy, downward-curving muzzle, and a hairy fold of skin called a bell or dewlap hanging from the neck that seems to serve no purpose.

Moose hair is hollow. Fur made up of this type of hair helps to insulate the animal from the cold. Moose fur is generally dark, black to brown or grayish brown, with the lower legs being lighter. An all-white color phase is rare. Their underfur and long guard hairs provide excellent insulation from cold. Young have a reddish brown fur and are not spotted like other young in the deer family. Individual hairs are 15 to 25 centimeters long. [Source: Tanya Dewey; Anne Bartalucci; Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Moose generally lumber along and move extraordinarily quietly for animals so large. However, they have long legs and can run quite fast if necessary. Moose have keen senses of hearing and smell. They can detect humans and predators such wolves from a far distance and generally do their best to keep their distance.

A moose's front legs are longer than its back legs. This helps the moose more easily jump over things lying in its path. The hump on a moose's back is caused by massive shoulder muscles. A moose's wide hooves act like built-in snowshoes, helping the moose walk in the snow.Moose can run 35 mph (56 km/h) over short distances and trot at 20 mph (32 km/h) for longer periods. Moose are strong swimmers and can swim up to 6 mph (9.5 km/h) and as far as 12.4 miles (20 km). Moose can also stay under water for 30 seconds when swimming. [Source: Alina Bradford, Live Science, November 13, 2014]

Moose have long, slender legs that support a massive body, and a short, thick neck that support a large head. Their long ears are 25 centimeters (10 inches) long and their short inconspicuous tail is 8 to 12 centimeters (3.2 to 4.7 inches). The upper lip of their long, bulbous, drooping muzzle. overhangs the lower lip. Between the nostrils is a triangular patch of bare skin. The dewlap, or bell, may or may not be present in females. With no upper incisors or canines, moose must nip off plants between a bony upper palate and their lower incisors. They have a dental formula of I 0/3, C 0/1, P 3/3, meters 3/3 = 32. |=|

Moose Antlers

Males have a huge set of broad, arching antlers that can reach a length of over two meters (seven feet) and weigh 40 kilograms (85 pounds) or more. The antlers resemble a pair of hands with the palms open and the fingers pointing upwards. Males lose their antlers in December and begin grow a new set in April that reaches full size in June.

Moose antlers are covered with velvet which peals and is rubbed off in on bushes and trees in August after the blood supply is cut off. Antlers are a kind of symbol of strength and virility intended to impress females and intimidate rivals. Antlers are mostly used for fighting for a mate, and they are shed each winter after rutting (mating) season, which runs from September to October. They also come in handy during wolf attacks.

Moose possess the world’s largest antlers. Females don’t have antlers, which to some makes the head appear ungainly and out of balance. The widest antler spread recorded is 2.05 meters (6.6 feet). Antlers of North American moose are palmate (specess between the tines are partly filled in to form broad flat surfaces) and have a main palm and brow palm in a butterfly configuration. Cervine- (deer-) shaped antlers, without palmation, are more common in European elk and Manchurian elk. [Source: Tanya Dewey; Anne Bartalucci; Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

While antlers can be used as weapons, they’re mostly instruments of reproduction. According to National Geographic: When vying for a female, a moose with smaller antlers may be deterred by a male with a large rack. Not only that, but a female may also perceive a male with imposing antlers to be more physically fit, and thus opt to mate with him, says Lee Kantar, moose biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife. Only when two males of equal size meet will they joust, placing their antlers together and then twisting and pushing to see which animal gains an advantage. Bulls will also gore each other in the side or the rump, sometimes causing fatal injuries or weakening an animal to the point that it succumbs to a predator or the elements. Such duels are relatively rare as they come at a high cost. [Source: Jason Bittel, National Geographic, January 6, 2023]

Why Do Moose Shed Their Antlers?

A viral video widely viewed in late 2022 and early 2023 and taken from a doorbell camera in Alaska caught the exact moment a moose shook off its rack — and then, seemingly frightened by the event, ran off into the night. Jason Bittel wrote in National Geographic; Though it is not often witnessed by people, antler shedding, or casting, is a normal annual process for male moose and deer. “A bull grows his first set beginning with his first birthday, in general, and they grow in size and shape each year until around 11, when growth is minimal,”says Kantar. [Source: Jason Bittel, National Geographic, January 6, 2023]

Horns, which adorn rams, goats, cows, and many other mammals, are part of the skull itself and never shed. Composed of keratin, a protein in our hair and fingernails, horns are dead, and simply grow slightly larger each year. Contrary to lifeless horns, antlers pulse with life and are even warm to the touch while they’re growing. “They are highly vascularized tissue that rapidly grow from early spring to near summer’s end,” says Kantar.

For much of the year, antlers are covered in fuzzy skin, known as velvet. And beneath that velvet are veins full of blood that carry calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients to the growing bone beneath. To become antlers, that velvet must eventually die and get scraped off by the animal, revealing the battle-worthy bone. Antler growth, or antlerogenesis, actually holds a Guinness World Record for being the fastest-growing tissue found in mammals. During the summer, when moose antlerogenesis is at its peak, their antlers can grow nearly an inch every single day.

Why do moose, deer, and red deer shed their antlers? Once the fall breeding season, or rut, is over, male cervids no longer have any need for their antlers. In fact, their head ornaments can become a bit of a liability. As the days becomes shorter, male cervids’ bodies stop producing as much testosterone, which triggers a demineralization at the base of each antler, called the pedicle. “So that grip to the pedicles starts to really loosen up, and then anything from jumping and landing, or shaking their head, or getting into a fight with another male can just knock it right off,” says says Landon Magee, a wildlife biologist at the University of Montana and a member of the Blackfeet Nation. “And then that process starts all over again,” he says.

Moose Lifespan, Disease and Deaths

The lifespan of moose in the wild that survive childhood is typically eight to 15 years but can be as long as 22 years. Up to half of all moose die within their first year of life. Adult moose are in their prime from five to 12 years of age but begin to suffer from arthritis, dental diseases and wear, and other factors after about eight years. Male moose also suffer as a result of male-male aggression associated with mating. Few bull moose survive longer than 15 years in the wild and the oldest recorded cow moose was 22 years old. [Source: Tanya Dewey; Anne Bartalucci; Bret Weinstein, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Many moose calves do not live beyond their first six weeks of life due to predation by bears and wolves. Once they reach adulthood, their chances of survival are high. Adult females have an average survival of 95 percent. Male survival is more variable due to hunting and male-male competition. Peak reproductive age in females is four to 12 years of age and four to eight years in males. [Source: Daniel De Bord, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

Moose are affected by several diseases and parasites, including tapeworms (Taenia krabbei) and hydatid disease (Echinococcus granulosus). Fatal "moose disease" is caused by a brainworm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) which most commonly infects white-tailed deer. Moose can become severely infested with winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) and death can sometimes occur in in winter as a result of blood loss and nutritional stress.

Moose Are Not Endangered

Moose are not endangered. An estimated one million moose live in North America alone. Moose are found in North America as far south as Colorado and as far north as the Arctic Circle. The European elk is found in northern Scandinavia and Russia and a small corner of Poland. The global population of moose is estimated to be about 1.5 million and increasing.

Moose are designated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as they are widespread and extremely abundant despite fairly intense hunting. They have no special status on according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The majority of their populations are expanding and extremely abundant despite heavy hunting pressure in parts of their range. .[Source: Daniel De Bord, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) |=|]

The Caucasian moose was hunted to extinction by the early 19th century. Vehicle-moose collisions pose the greatest danger to the animals, according to Alaska Fish and Game. Hundreds of moose are killed each year in Alaska, which has the highest rate of moose-vehicle collisions in the world. Moose and elk have a hard time living in places with white tail deer, who roam all over the United States. These deer carry a snail-bourne meningeal worm that is relatively harmless to white tails but eats away at the brain of caribou, moose, elk and other kinds of deer.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2025