Moose Info

The moose is the largest member of the deer family currently roaming the planet. The moose seems as if it should belong to a different, larger scale of animal because it dwarfs its commonly seen cousin the deer. They are different from any of their equally proportionate relatives the deer and elk. Moose are top heavy bearing most of their body weight high in the air perched on four long legs.

The upper lip of the moose is oddly larger than the rest of its face rounding off at the end, resembles a bucket. Therefore earning the nickname Old Bucket Nose. Moose also have a beard like a flap under their chin called a dewlap or bell, male moose have large antlers that are shaped like scoops that can measure 60” or better tip to tip and can weigh in excess of 70 pounds. A full grown moose can weigh up to 1,800 pounds and stand 7 feet tall at the shoulder, making moose one of the northern hemispheres largest land dwelling mammals.

The word “moose” comes from the Algonquin Indians. These were native people who lived throughout the northern regions of Canada. The Algonquins called this strange looking creature mooswa. It means “twig-eater” or “the animal that strips bark off of trees.” Early explorers heard this work and through the years, it eventually changed into “moose.”

Moose eat willow, birch and aspen twigs, horsetail, sedges, roots, pond weeds and grasses. Moose eat leaves, twigs, buds and the bark of some woody plants, as well as lichens, aquatic plants and some of the taller herbaceous land plants. Can actually feed under water.

Moose are found in northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia. In Europe and Asia, moose are called elk.