Moose

The moose or elk is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult male moose have distinctive broad, palmate antlers; most other members of the deer family have antlers with a dendritic configuration. Elk are light brown — a bull elk can be almost golden — with a pale yellow rump. A moose has a very large, long, bulbous nose and a fur under the throat. An elk's snout is much narrower and it has no “bell.” A mature bull moose has broad, flat antlers, unlike the pointed antlers of an elk .Bears and wolves prey on moose. Black and grizzly bears have been known to prey heavily on moose calves during the first few weeks of life, and grizzly bears can easily kill adult moose. Throughout most wolf range in Canada, moose are the principal prey of wolves. Wolves kill many calves and take adult moose all year.

Height: 4.6 – 6.9 ft. (Adult, At Shoulder)

Mass: 840 – 1,500 lbs (Male), 440 – 1,100 lbs (Female)

Speed: 35 mph (Maximum, Adult, Running)

Scientific name: Alces alces

Lifespan: 15 – 25 years

Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing)

Trophic level: Herbivorous