They live all across Canada, Alaska, and many northern states and are present all year round. The North American Moose is a giant, hairy land mammal with a droopy chin, a giant head, and a set of huge antlers in the males through most of the summer and autumn. These now called North American ‘elks’ ( Cervus canadensis) could be twice as heavy as the Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus) they were originally being compared to.Ĭan you see why the confusion occurred? The North American Moose: ( Alces alces) People from Europe (who had never seen a moose ( Alces alces) and assumed it was just a very large deer) came across a very large deer when colonizing the Americas and so assumed it couldn’t possibly be their ‘normal’ red deer ( Cervus elaphus) – it had to be an Elk ( Alces alces) which was what Europeans called a Moose.įrom that moment on, that North American very large deer ( Cervus canadensis) became known as an Elk, when in fact it was actually a deer (not a moose). Even though it was wrong in the end – there was no attempt to change it back – everyone just stuck with what they had. Well, the difference in appearance is totally obvious for modern humans – but for travelers of the past with little or no experience of international wildlife just chose a name they thought would match – and stuck to it. What Is The Difference Between A Moose And An Elk (And An Elk)? (North America and Europe) But the North American Elk the Wapiti on the other hand is a different animal with some clear visual differences. North American Moose vs North American Elk (Wapiti): Basically, Its the same animal – For some reason two of the largest deer species alive today got confused – in different places and by different people.
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