- East European Moose (Alces alces alces)
- American Moose (Alces alces americana)
- Alaskan Moose (Alces alces gigas)
- Caucasian Moose (Alces alces casaacius)
- Yellowstone Moose (Alces alces shirasi)
The Caucasian Moose is now extinct while the Yellowstone Moose is endangered outside the confines of the National Park. The Moose is an ancient inhabitant of the northern forests of Eurasia and North America. Moose have a long history of being hunted by man, being depicted on the cave paintings at Lascaux by Stone age man. Caeser and Plinius wrote about them. More recently they have suffered because of this hunting by man and many populations, for example in Eastern Europe were threatened with extinction. However, now due to protective measures Elk are making a comeback in some eastern European countries. They have returned to countries such as Germany, Austria, and Poland.
It is easy to distinguish a moose from other ungulates; they are the largest of the deer, being the size of a small pony. However this does not make them any easier to spot in their natural habitat, as they are shy and secretive. Their antlers are short and flattened and possess many tines. The antlers often weigh over 20kg. The males use the antlers during rutting. There are two forms of antlers, a rod shaped form, and a spade shaped form.
They have small eyes, an extended nose and a wide muzzle. The upper lip is highly moveable. The hooves are well spread out allowing them to graze with ease in marshy areas. They are good swimmers. They eat a variety of things, such as soft woods, branches, twigs and juicy bark.
