All profits made at WildlifeoPedia are donated to charities protecting wildlife. You can help nature by checking out what you can do, here! 🐨🦤🌿🏞️

Moose Profile

Photo by David Osborn / Shutterstock

Source: Dimensions.com

“I stride through forests and wade through rivers, my antlers reaching for the sky — the wild still stands tall.”

Estimated Population: ~ 1.5 million

✦ A.I-Generated Summary ▼

The moose (Alces alces) is the largest member of the deer family, an iconic symbol of northern forests and wetlands. Towering, powerful, and perfectly adapted to cold climates, moose rely on their long legs, massive antlers, and specialized feeding strategies to thrive, making them keystone herbivores in boreal and temperate ecosystems.

Key Points:

Diet & Lifestyle: Moose are herbivores, browsing leaves, twigs, and bark in winter and feeding on aquatic plants in summer. Adults can consume over 20 kg of vegetation per day, using their height and long legs to access food unavailable to other herbivores.
Physical Traits & Adaptations: Moose are massive and robust, with males sporting enormous palmate antlers. Their long legs allow them to navigate deep snow and marshes, while thick fur conserves heat in harsh northern climates. Males are significantly heavier than females.
Reproduction: Moose breed during the fall rut. After a gestation of ~230 days, cows typically give birth to 1–2 calves, which stay with the mother for about a year to learn essential survival skills.
Behavior & Social Structure: Mostly solitary, moose gather only for mating or when mothers are raising calves. Bulls compete during the rut using antler displays and vocalizations, while cows care for their calves alone.
Role In The Ecosystem: By browsing young trees and shrubs, moose influence forest regeneration, plant diversity, and ecosystem structure. They also provide prey for large predators like wolves and bears, contributing to the balance of northern food webs.
Threats & Conservation: Listed as Least Concern (IUCN) globally, moose face regional challenges including habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, parasites like winter ticks, and climate change, which particularly affects southern populations. Conservation focuses on preserving habitat connectivity and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Learn how you can help.

Final Note:
Moose are giants of the northern forests, shaping landscapes with every bite and stride. Protecting them ensures the health of boreal and temperate ecosystems while maintaining one of nature’s most majestic herbivores for generations to come.

MOOSE VITAL SIGNS BAR,

For a quick overview of the moose...

Symbolically Adopt A Moose At WWF ➤

Return To Center of The WildlifeoProfiles

21. Moose Profile

Common Name: Moose
Scientific Name: Alces alces
Genus: Alces
Family: Cervidae
Order: Artiodactyla
Class: Mammalia
Phylum: Chordata
Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN – global assessment of the Moose)

Physical Description

Moose are the largest members of the deer family and among the tallest land mammals in North America and Eurasia. They have long legs, a humped shoulder, a drooping snout, and a distinctive flap of skin under the throat called a dewlap or “bell.” Males (bulls) are famous for their massive, broad antlers.

Height: 1.4 – 2.1 m (at the shoulder)
Length: 2.4 – 3.2 m
Weight: 200 – 700 kg (males significantly heavier than females)

Moose show strong sexual dimorphism: only males grow large palmate antlers, which can span over 1.8 meters and are shed and regrown annually.

Habitat

Moose are native to northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia, thriving in cold climates. Large populations are found in Canada, United States (especially Alaska), and across Scandinavia and Russia.

Primary habitat: Boreal forests (taiga)
Occasional habitats: Temperate forests, wetlands, tundra edges

They prefer areas near lakes, rivers, and marshes where aquatic vegetation is abundant.

Strength & Movement

Moose are powerful and surprisingly agile for their size.

Top speed: Up to 55 km/h
Swimming ability: Can swim several kilometers and dive up to 6 meters for aquatic plants

Their long legs help them move efficiently through deep snow and marshy terrain.

Diet

Moose are herbivores with a diet that changes seasonally.

Primary food: Leaves, twigs, bark, shrubs
Summer diet: Aquatic plants such as water lilies and pondweed

An adult moose can consume over 20 kg of vegetation per day.

Behavior and Social Structure

Moose are generally solitary animals, except during the mating season (rut) or when females are raising calves.

Territorial behavior: Bulls compete for mates during autumn rut
Social behavior: Cows raise calves alone; twins are common

They communicate through vocalizations, body posture, and scent marking.

Fun Fact: Moose are excellent swimmers and often feed underwater to access nutrient-rich plants.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs in the fall during the rut.

Gestation period: ~230 days
Litter size: 1 – 2 calves (twins common)
Weaning: Around 5 – 6 months

Calves stay with their mother for about a year, learning survival skills before the next breeding season.

Did You Know?

Antler Giants: Moose antlers are the largest of any living deer species.
Cold Adapted: Their thick fur and large bodies help conserve heat in harsh winters.
Long-Legged Advantage: Their height allows them to browse vegetation unreachable to most other herbivores.
Aquatic Feeders: Moose regularly dive underwater for food.

Role in the Ecosystem

Moose shape forest ecosystems by browsing on young trees and shrubs, influencing forest regeneration and plant diversity. They are also key prey for large predators such as wolves and bears, helping maintain ecological balance.

Why They're At Risk

Although globally listed as Least Concern, some regional populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, climate change, parasites (such as winter ticks), vehicle collisions, and predation pressures. Warming temperatures particularly impact moose in southern parts of their range, making long-term monitoring and habitat protection increasingly important.