Moose Fact Sheet

• The moose is the largest member of the deer family. Its scientific name is Alces alces.
   
• Mooses are for the most part sort of a brownish color, though they can range from light beige to almost black.
   
• The plural of moose is "moose." We at the Mickey Moose Club choose to ignore this fact.
   
• Mooses are very large. It's best not to mess with them, especially during rutting season.
   
• Each year in Alaska, there are more moose-related deaths than bear-related deaths.
   
• Mooses are herbivores, and it's a darn good thing they are. Otherwise there'd be even more moose-related deaths.
   
• The moose is the official State Animal of Maine.
   
• The moose is found all over the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, Asia, and North America.
   
• The history of the name of this animal is somewhat confusing. Before the "discovery" of the New World, the Asian/European variety was called by names related to the English word elk. (Many of these names are still around — see the International Moose Dictionary, below.) The North American elk, or wapiti, is an entirely different animal found only on this continent.
     So... In Europe and Asia, an elk is a moose. In North America, an elk is a wapiti, and a moose is a moose.
   
• The word "moose" itself is derived from the Natik word "moos," itself supposedly descended from the Proto-Algonquian *mooswa, meaning "the animal that strips bark off of trees."
   
• This is not to be confused with "dog," the animal that barks.
   
• Only the bull moose has antlers, and they fall off every winter. The cow has better things to do than grow silly appendages.
   
• The last words of Henry David Thoreau are reported to be, "Moose. Indian."
   
• Click here to see the ever-growing International Moose Dictionary.
   
• Do you live near mooses? Are you a moose researcher or mooseophile? If you have more information about this noblest of animals, the moose, we'd love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at moose@mickeymoose.org.
   

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