Moose Facts for Kids
Alces alces · AL-seez AL-seez
The biggest deer in the world, and a surprisingly good swimmer.
- 🏃 35 mph56 km/h1
- ⚖️ 701 to 1,400 lb318 to 635 kg2
- 📏 9 ft2.7 m3 long
- 🎂 15 to 25 years15 to 25 years1
- 🍽️ plants
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
Moose are the biggest deer. Male moose grow huge, flat antlers. They love to eat plants that grow in lakes and ponds.
A male moose grows wide, flat antlers, which fall off each winter and grow back in spring. Moose have long legs for stepping over fallen logs and wading through deep snow and lakes. They wade into ponds to eat water plants, and they can even dive under the surface to get them.
Moose are the largest members of the deer family, and they live in cold northern forests with plenty of lakes and swamps. In summer they eat leaves and water plants, which give them the salt they need, and in winter they browse on twigs and bark. A moose swims well and may cross a whole lake. Moose usually live alone, except for mothers with their calves.
How big is a moose?
Moose in numbers
| Length | 9 ft2.7 m3adult male Alaska moose (the largest subspecies, Alces alces gigas), head to rump |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 5 to 7 ft1.5 to 2.1 m4at the shoulder |
| Weight | 701 to 1,400 lb318 to 635 kg2 |
| Top speed (running) | 35 mph56 km/h1running |
| How long it lives | 15 to 25 years15 to 25 years1 |
| What it eats | leaves, twigs, bark and water plants |
| Where it lives | the cold northern forests of North America, Europe and Asia |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)5 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A moose can dive underwater to munch water plants.
- The flap of skin that hangs under a moose's chin is called a bell.
- A male moose drops his antlers every winter and grows a new pair.
Compare the moose
Friends and neighbours
Reindeer (caribou)
White-tailed deer
North American beaverThree questions
Books about the moose, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the moose for free.
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Grand Portage, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Rocky Mountain, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Moose (Q35517), checked 30 October 2026.