How Big Is a Moose? Moose Height, Weight and Antlers

Moose size at a glance

The figures below are typical ranges for wild adult moose (Alces alces). Size depends on subspecies, region, age, season and food supply, so individual animals can fall outside them.

Bulls are typically 40 percent or more heavier than cows. Their weight also swings through the year. A bull is heaviest in late summer, when he has fattened on rich leaves and water plants, and he can lose a large share of that weight during the fall rut, when he eats very little while searching for cows and confronting rivals.

Much of a moose’s height comes from its long legs. Those legs let it wade into deep water, step through snow up to about 70 cm (28 in) deep and browse branches far above the reach of other deer. The tall hump over the shoulders, built of muscle attached to long spines on the vertebrae, makes the animal look even bigger.

Which moose are the biggest?

Moose follow a common pattern in mammals: those living farther north and in colder climates tend to be larger.

• Alaska-Yukon moose (A. a. gigas) of Alaska and the Yukon are the largest. Bulls often weigh over 600 kg (1,300 lb), and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game gives adult sizes of roughly 360 kg (800 lb) for a small cow to about 725 kg (1,600 lb) for a large bull.
• East Siberian moose of Chukotka and the Russian Far East are similar in size to the Alaskan giants.
• Eastern and western moose across Canada and the northeastern US are mid-sized.
• Shiras moose (A. a. shirasi) of the Rocky Mountains, from Wyoming and Montana to Colorado and Utah, are the smallest North American form.
• European moose (A. a. alces) of Scandinavia and the Baltic are generally smaller than Alaskan moose, and moose in the southern parts of Asia’s range are smaller still.

The largest moose with reliable measurements was a bull taken near the Yukon River in 1897, which weighed about 820 kg (1,800 lb) and stood about 2.33 m (7.6 ft) at the shoulder. Heavier animals have been reported, but those figures are not verified.

How big are moose antlers?

Bull moose carry the largest antlers of any living animal. In most North American moose each antler forms a wide, flat palm fringed with points, which makes the whole rack look enormous from the front. A typical mature bull’s antlers span about 1.2–1.5 m (3.9–4.9 ft).

In Alaska, the biggest bulls in their prime can carry antlers spanning more than 1.8 m (6 ft), and the widest recorded spreads are just over 2 m (6.6 ft). The heaviest sets weigh around 35 kg (77 lb). Antler size depends on age, food and health: bulls usually reach their best antlers between about 6 and 12 years old, and antlers shrink again in old age.

Remarkably, all this bone grows in three to five months. Bulls drop their antlers in early winter, after the rut, and grow a new set covered in soft velvet each spring and summer, making moose antlers one of the fastest-growing tissues in any mammal.

How big is a moose calf?

A newborn moose calf weighs about 11–16 kg (25–35 lb), about as much as a medium-sized dog, and has long legs and a plain reddish-brown coat. Calves can follow their mother within a few days of birth.

They grow at a remarkable speed. While nursing, a calf can gain around 1 kg (2.2 lb) a day, and Alaskan calves grow to roughly ten times their birth weight within five months. By their first winter, many weigh about 135–180 kg (300–400 lb). Young moose keep growing for several years and reach full adult size at about four to five years old.

Moose compared with horses, elk and bison

A moose is often described as horse-sized, but a big bull is larger than most horses. A typical riding horse stands about 1.5–1.7 m (4.9–5.6 ft) at the withers and weighs roughly 400–600 kg (880–1,320 lb), so a tall bull moose looks over the back of most horses. Large draft breeds can be as heavy as or heavier than many moose.

The North American elk, or wapiti, is the second-largest deer. Bull elk usually weigh about 180–500 kg (400–1,100 lb) and stand about 1.4–1.5 m (4.6–5 ft) at the shoulder, so on average a moose stands roughly 30 cm (1 ft) taller. See how big is an elk? for elk figures and moose vs elk for a side-by-side guide.

In North America, the moose is the tallest land animal, and only the American bison is heavier.

Why size matters for moose

Being big helps a moose survive northern winters. A large body loses heat slowly, and long legs carry it through snow and across bogs. An adult moose is too large and too well armed with hooves for most single predators, so wolves usually need a pack, and they mostly succeed with calves, old animals or moose trapped in deep snow.

Size has costs too. Moose need large amounts of food, overheat easily in warm weather and, because a moose’s body sits at about the height of a car’s windshield, collisions with vehicles are especially dangerous for both the animal and the people inside.