Moose are undeniably massive creatures, often sparking curiosity about their size in relation to humans. When considering a full-grown Alaska bull moose, you’re looking at an animal heavier than ten kegs of beer, a telephone pole, or even a compact car. They stand as tall as a standard front door or the average player in the NBA, and even dwarf celebrities like Jason Momoa by approximately eight inches. However, the Alaska moose is just one piece of the puzzle when exploring the true scale of these magnificent animals.
North America is home to four distinct subspecies of moose, each with its own size variations. These include the Alaska moose, the Northwestern moose, the eastern moose, and the Shiras moose. Each subspecies is considerably larger than most other game animals found on the continent, explaining why specialized, larger caliber cartridges are typically recommended for moose hunting. In fact, moose hold the title of the largest deer species globally, making their size comparison to humans even more striking.
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Within North America, the Shiras moose represents the smaller end of the moose size spectrum. Bulls of this subspecies can reach weights of up to 1,200 pounds and stand approximately 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Conversely, the Alaska moose, also known as the Yukon moose in Canada, is the largest, with bulls potentially weighing around 1,600 pounds and reaching heights of nearly 7 feet. Historically, the largest Alaska moose on record, taken by hunters, have weighed around 1,800 pounds. The heaviest recorded moose, documented in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1897, tipped the scales at an astonishing 1,808 pounds and stood at 7.6 feet tall according to the Guinness Book of World Records. To better visualize the size differences among subspecies, let’s delve into a breakdown of the four types of moose found in the U.S. and Canada.
Moose Size Comparison by Subspecies
Across North America, you can encounter all four moose subspecies, inhabiting regions from the Northeast to the Rocky Mountains and extending north through Canada and Alaska. Interestingly, Europe also has four subspecies of moose, often referred to as “elk,” but our focus here remains on the North American moose. Globally, moose generally thrive in colder, northern climates.
1) Alaska Moose (Alces alces gigas)
The Alaska moose, recognized as the world’s largest moose subspecies, exemplifies impressive size.
The Alaska moose, also known as the Yukon moose in Canada or simply the “giant moose,” truly lives up to its name as the largest moose subspecies. These moose inhabit the boreal and mixed deciduous forests across most of Alaska and the western Yukon. Their diet primarily consists of forbs, willow, and birch shoots. Mature bulls typically stand just under 7 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh between 1,200 and 1,600 pounds, while females can exceed 1,000 pounds in weight.
Beyond their sheer size, Alaska moose boast impressive antlers. Safari Club International (SCI) records highlight a record-breaking bull taken in September 1999 by Debra Card near Cordova, Alaska. This moose weighed an incredible 1,800 pounds – nearly the weight of two grand pianos. Its antlers spanned 74 2/8 inches, featured 39 points, and scored 731 ⅛ inches on the SCI scale. To put this antler size into perspective, the average whitetail doe is approximately 71 inches long, meaning one could fit comfortably within the spread of this moose’s antlers.
The Boone & Crockett (B&C) record for the largest Alaska moose belongs to a bull shot by Rex J. Nick in 2010 along the Lower Yukon River in Alaska. This bull, scoring 266-4/8 inches B&C, was taken with a 300 Win Mag and only surpassed the previous record by a mere 2-7/8 points.
2) Northwestern Moose (Alces alces andersoni)
A Northwestern moose bull in its habitat, providing a visual reference for its size.
The Northwestern moose, also called the Western moose, inhabits the boreal forests of western Canada and extends into parts of Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. They have also been introduced to New Zealand. As the second-largest moose subspecies in North America, they follow closely behind the Alaska moose in size. Northwestern moose can measure over 6½ feet tall at the shoulder and approach weights of 1,600 pounds. These substantial animals require a significant daily calorie intake, consuming around 10,000 calories, equivalent to approximately 70 pounds of vegetation each day.
Doug Rehbein holds the SCI record for the largest Northwestern moose, taken in 1998 in the Cassiar Mountains of British Columbia. This bull scored 557 inches with a 64-2/8-inch outside antler spread. Interestingly, its antlers featured an uneven point distribution, with 12 points on one side and 10 on the other.
3) Eastern Moose (Alces alces americana)
An Eastern moose in its environment, offering a perspective on its size.
Eastern moose are prevalent in regions including Maine, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Large eastern bulls can reach weights of up to 1,400 pounds and stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Hunting eastern moose in the continental U.S. is possible through tag applications, though drawing odds can be competitive. For hunters seeking more accessible tag options, Newfoundland and other areas of eastern Canada offer over-the-counter tags.
The SCI record for the largest eastern moose belongs to a bull shot by Jeremy Boileau in 2011. This massive moose scored an impressive 666 3/8 inches and featured 20 points on each antler. Boileau harvested this record-breaking bull with a rifle in Quebec, Canada, surpassing the next largest eastern moose by a remarkable 175 inches.
4) Shiras Moose (Alces alces shirasi)
Shiras moose, the smallest of the North American moose subspecies, still exhibits a significant size.
Shiras moose occupy the southernmost moose habitats in North America, residing in the Rocky Mountains of the western U.S. and Canada. While they are the smallest moose subspecies in North America, their size remains considerable. Shiras bulls can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder.
The SCI record for the largest Shiras moose is held by a bull taken by Jim Hall in Washington in 2018. This moose weighed between 650 and 700 pounds and scored 504 7/8 inches. John M. Oakley secured the B&C record for Shiras moose in 1952 with a bull taken in Green River Lake, Wyoming, scoring 205 4/8 points on the B&C scale using a .270 caliber rifle.
Moose Size Compared to Other Animals
To further grasp the scale of moose, let’s compare their size to other animals, ranging from elephants to horses.
Compared to an Elephant
An average bull Alaska moose, standing nearly 7 feet tall and weighing 1,600 pounds, appears small when placed next to the largest land animal, the African elephant. Elephants can grow up to 13 feet tall and weigh between 5,000 and 14,000 pounds, dwarfing even the largest moose.
Compared to Bison
While bison may not reach the same height as moose, they can be heavier. However, the weight difference isn’t substantial, particularly when considering the record-breaking 1,800-pound Alaska moose taken by Debra Card. Bison can grow to around 2,000 pounds and stand up to 6 feet tall at the shoulder, making them comparable in bulk to very large moose.
Compared to Elk
Bull moose significantly outweigh bull elk. A large elk can weigh just over 1,000 pounds with a shoulder height of approximately 5 feet. This size is roughly equivalent to a female Alaska moose. Even a bull Shiras moose, the smallest subspecies, surpasses the size of a bull elk.
Compared to a Horse
The average quarter horse is comparable in size to a bull Shiras moose, weighing around 1,200 pounds. Interestingly, in the early 1900s, a man from New Brunswick named John Connell famously saddled and regularly rode a moose. The largest horse ever recorded, an English Shire gelding named Sampson, weighed a staggering 3,359 pounds and stood 7 feet 2.5 inches tall at the shoulder. Despite its immense size, Sampson was still a few inches shorter than the tallest Alaska bull moose on record, highlighting the exceptional height of these moose.
Compared to Humans
A moose print in the snow compared to a human foot, visually demonstrating the size difference.
In terms of height, the tallest human ever recorded, Robert Pershing Wadlow at 8 feet 11 inches, surpasses the tallest moose on record at 7 feet 7 inches. However, when comparing moose height to the average human height, the difference becomes striking. The average bull moose stands approximately a foot taller than the average human. Regarding weight, the heaviest moose on record outweighs the heaviest human, Jon Brower Minnoch (who reached approximately 1,400 pounds), by around 400 pounds.
Even at birth, the size comparison is notable. Alaska moose calves weigh around 28 pounds, roughly the same as a 3-year-old human child. After birth, moose experience rapid growth, initially gaining about 2 pounds per day, later increasing to 5 pounds per day. In contrast, the average human child gains approximately 5 pounds per year between the ages of 2 and 5, illustrating the drastically different growth rates and ultimate size disparity between moose and humans.
Five Cool Facts About Moose
Beyond their impressive size relative to humans, moose possess other fascinating characteristics.
1) Moose antlers are among the fastest-growing animal tissues globally.
Similar to other deer species, moose shed their antlers annually. However, the regrowth rate of moose antlers is particularly remarkable. They are believed to have the fastest bone growth among deer, adding up to a pound of antler mass per day and potentially gaining up to 80 pounds of antler weight over a single summer.
2) Moose cause more human injuries than bears.
While not inherently aggressive, moose are large and can be territorial, especially during mating season or when protecting calves. Their size and unpredictable nature contribute to a higher incidence of human injuries compared to bears. In Alaska, for instance, moose injure an average of five to ten people annually, exceeding the combined number of injuries from grizzly and black bear attacks statewide.
3) They are the largest deer species in the world.
It bears repeating: moose are deer, and they are the largest deer species on Earth. To equal the weight of a single bull moose, it would take approximately 53 South American pudus, the smallest deer species. On average, moose weigh about ten times more than the average whitetail deer, highlighting their immense size within the deer family.
A cow moose with her calf, showcasing the size of even young moose and their protective mothers.
4) A five-day-old moose calf can outrun a human.
Moose calves develop rapidly in the wild to survive various predators. Remarkably, just five days after birth, a moose calf can outrun a human, exceeding the average human top speed of 8 miles per hour. Adult moose can charge at speeds of around 35 mph for short bursts, surpassing the speed limits in many urban areas and significantly faster than even world-record sprinters like Usain Bolt.
5) They have poor eyesight but excellent senses of smell and hearing.
Moose have limited visual acuity, but compensate with highly developed senses of smell and hearing. Research indicates that moose can differentiate smells and pinpoint their direction using their large nostrils and sensitive nasal cavities Researchers have found. Additionally, their distinctive dish-shaped antlers are believed to amplify the sounds of calling females during mating season, enhancing the hearing capabilities of solitary bulls.
