What is the difference between Moose and Elk?

Spotting the differences between a moose and an elk will become easy once you know some basic facts about the two animals. Most times, people confuse the two together; this is because both moose and elk are from the same family i.e., deer family. And also, both words are used interchangeably. For example, a moose in North America can be referred to as an elk in most European countries. However, this does not negate the fact that there are some differences between a moose and an elk.

The moose is the largest member of the deer family. This means that in terms of size, elks don't have the same size as the moose. The antlers on the moose are bigger than that of elks. Most times, elks move together with their kinds, while the moose don't usually move together in a group. They prefer to move alone. The moose leave deep leg print on the ground when walking because of their size, while elks don't.

An elk is an even-toed creature with a massively built body, which measures more than 2.5 meters of height. They live in woodlands as well as the environments along the boundaries of the woods. Their neck is darker, and the rear is white. Elks change their color and viscosity of the coat. In the winter, the coat becomes lightly colored and thicker; however, it is dark tan with short fur in the summer.

These are social animals. A moose is the most impressive among all the deer species with a weight range of 400-700 kilograms: although, the females are always smaller. Moose are light brown to black, depending on the season and their age. They are not social animals, as they prefer to live solitary lives. They have drooping lips, rotatable ears, and a protruding hump.

At first glance, moose and elk really look the same, especially to people who have seen them up-close for the very first time. The largest member of the deer family is the moose and considered to be the tallest mammal living in North America.

They have long, thick brown fur as they live in very cold parts of the world. Moose have long legs where the front legs are longer than their rear legs. They have very distinct antlers that look like fans and are not pointy. Elk, on the other hand, has pointy antlers that may reach up to 1.2 meters above its head. Its facial structure does look like more of a deer with a big body. It also has a thinner and lighter brown color of fur than the moose.