Difference Between Moose and Deer
Both moose as well as deer are ungulates that mean hoofed mammals. These are mammalian herbivores (plant eating) and especially lead the life of the flock. Since both deer and moose even numbered toes in a foot, they were classified in the Order Artiodactyla. There are many species of deer and the moose is one of them, being the largest of all of them. They are likely to prone to hunting in many countries both for meat and for sport. Most species of deer are either critically endangered or endangered, or vulnerable according to IUCN (Conservation Union World) Red List (IUCN, 2011).
Deer
Deer have many species with many kinds (eg. Cervus, Muntiacus,Axis Rucervus Elaphodus, Dama etc). They are scattered in all continents. The body weight of each differs by a wide spectrum, from 10 to 250 kg. Usually they are herbivorous browsers and also prefer their food to be more nutritious. Deer are ruminants, that is to say they have a four-chambered stomach to allow food to pass through a process of proper digestion and absorption of food. They live in herds and watch without buying a hole, so they know when there’s a predator around. Only the mother responsible for all the parental care and only one or two fawns are born each season. The deers antlers are generally long, curved and pointed. These are very important in the fight and flaunt factor for males in the herd. Deer are useful in many human activities including in the game and hunting for meat, indigenous medicine etc.
Moose
The moose was originally described as a single species with two subspecies by Linnaeus in 1758 and Clinton in 1822. However, Wilson and Reeder (2005) stated that they are two distinct species, Elk (Alces americanus) and the Siberian Elk (Alces alces). They are naturally distributed in North America, Asia and sometimes Europe. Moose has a large and tall body and its shoulder height can be anywhere between 1.8 and 2.1 meters when they are fully grown. Males grow larger (400 – 700 kg) than females (250 – 350 kg). Antlers are more than 1.5 meters long that give a massive look to the males. These are covered with a furry skin. They also have a projecting beam for their antlers that is also covered with velvety skin. Elk are herbivores and prefer many types of plant and fruit, taking more than 30 kg of food a day. They are also ruminants like other species of deer. Moose are diurnal creatures-active during day. Sexual maturity occurs about a year after birth as male and female call with loud grunts in the fall season for mating. A male moose mates with many females and is polygamous. Life span of a moose is nearly 20 years and the longevity of this period depends mainly on the density of predators and density of trees in forests.
Deer Vs Moose
Membership in the same group in the scientific classification (Family: Cervidae) and body shape with their social habits and food habits, elk and deer share the same role in the ecosystem. As the largest member of the body size of the family of deer, moose is much different from other deer. Also, the unique shape of antlers is another important distinction between moose and deer. The deer always holds a significant part of human culture and economy.