🦌 Moose vs Reindeer (caribou) 🦌
The moose is about one and a half times as long as the reindeer (caribou). The moose is about 6 times as fast as the reindeer (caribou). The moose weighs about 3 times as much as the reindeer (caribou).
| Row | 🦌 Moose | 🦌 Reindeer (caribou) |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The moose is about 6 times as fast as the reindeer (caribou). | 35 mph56 km/h1 | 6 mph9.7 km/h2 |
| Weight The moose weighs about 3 times as much as the reindeer (caribou). | 701 to 1,400 lb318 to 635 kg3 | 130 to 600 lb59 to 272 kg4 |
| Lives The moose usually lives about one and a half times as long as the reindeer (caribou). | 15 to 25 years15 to 25 years1 | 12 to 16 years12 to 16 years5 |
| Eats Both eat plants. | leaves, twigs, bark and water plants | lichens, grasses, leaves and shoots |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the cold northern forests of North America, Europe and Asia | the tundra and northern forests of North America, Europe and Asia |
Which one? Moose or reindeer (caribou)
🏁 Who would win the race?
The moose gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 6 times as fast as the reindeer (caribou). It isn't quite fair: the moose is running and the reindeer (caribou) is swimming.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/moose-vs-reindeer
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Grand Portage, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Caribou: Did You Know?, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, checked 30 October 2026.