AnimalsThe moose is the largest member of the deer family. Males grow broad, flat antlers. Moose are good swimmers and wade into lakes to eat water plants.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Alces alces
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- Northern North America, Europe and Asia
- Habitat
- Northern forests, lakes and marshes
- A young one is called
- calf
- A group is called
- herd
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Artiodactyla
- Family Cervidae
- Genus Alces
- Species Alces alces
Other members of the family Cervidae on this site: chital, reindeer, sambar.
More distant relatives in the order Artiodactyla: Bactrian camel, blackbuck, cow, dromedary camel, gaur, giraffe, goat, hippopotamus, nilgai, pig, sheep, water buffalo.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The moose is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.