Moose (Alces alces): Facts & Species Wiki

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notes

The Boreal Heavyweight

Call it a moose in North America and an elk in Europe: same animal, Alces alces, the largest species in the deer family alive today. Don’t mix it up with the North American elk, Cervus canadensis, a different species that just happens to share a name across the Atlantic. Adult bulls weigh 360 to 600 kilograms and cows 270 to 400 kilograms, but the Alaska-Yukon race is the biggest of all: bulls there can weigh near 1,500 pounds, about 680 kilograms.

A Rack Rebuilt From Bone Every Summer

Bulls shed their antlers each winter and grow new ones in spring. Antler is the fastest-growing tissue of any mammal, and a big bull can grow an 80-pound rack in one summer, adding about a pound of bone and an inch a day. A bull’s antler spread rarely tops 65 inches, and 55 inches already counts as a big rack.

A pound of bone a day A big bull moose can add a pound of bone and an inch of antler a day through the summer, then shed the whole rack in winter.

Long Legs, a Deep-Snow Edge Over Wolves

Long legs sometimes let a moose move through deep snow more easily than a wolf can. A moose can run as fast as 35 miles an hour. But that edge has a ceiling: wolf predation on moose climbs in winters when the snow gets deep enough to slow a moose down too. Healthy adults don’t have many predators, though: a face full of antlers or hooves is usually enough to deter bears and wolves.

The Only Deer Known to Dive

Moose feed on aquatic plants such as pondweed and water lilies, which have a higher sodium content than woody plants. One study found them high in sodium and iron compared with the leafy browse moose eat. No other member of the deer family is known to submerge its whole body to feed. How deep they actually go is murkier than the campfire stories suggest. The famous claim that moose dive five to six meters traces back to one eyewitness account in a moose reference book, and its author doesn’t say how he confirmed the depth. A separate moose reference book states that they can stay underwater for up to 50 seconds.

Published August 31, 2026Updated September 12, 2026

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& FAQ

01Can moose really dive underwater to feed?

Yes. Moose readily submerge their whole bodies underwater to feed, the only member of the deer family known to do that. How deep they can go is less certain: the famous "five to six meters" figure traces back to one eyewitness account in a moose reference book, and its author doesn't say how he confirmed the depth. A separate reference work states that a moose can stay underwater for up to 50 seconds.

Source: Teton Science Schools

02How fast do bull moose grow their giant palmate antlers each year?

Antler is the fastest-growing tissue of any mammal. A big bull moose can grow an 80-pound rack in one summer, adding about a pound of bone and an inch a day. The whole structure is grown from scratch each year and shed again come winter.

Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game

03How do moose survive walking and running through deep winter snow?

Long legs are the trick. Moose and caribou can sometimes move through deep snow more easily than wolves can. That edge has limits, though: at some point, especially with ice on top of the snow, even a moose starts to struggle, and a struggling moose can be a boon for a hungry wolf pack.

Source: National Park Service, Alaska Park Science