11 fast facts about moose

• Largest member of deer family.

• Tallest mammal in North America.

• Alaska moose are largest subspecies, with bulls 7 feet tall at shoulder, weighing up to 1,800 pounds.

• Shiras moose of Washington and Idaho include bulls nearly 6 feet high at shoulder, weighing up to 1,100 pounds.

• Antlers are palmated, as distinguished from the long tines of other deer family species.

• Flap of skin hanging from throat, called dewlap or bell, varies in length regardless of the animal’s size.

• Legs are proportionately long for wading in marshes; front legs are longer than rear legs.

• Can swim up to 6 mph.

• Easily stressed in hot weather because bodies don’t release heat efficiently.

• Oversize upper lip is very sensitive and able to distinguish the nourishing shoots on a branch or in underwater vegetation.

• Moose name comes from the Algonquian word “mus” or “moos,” which means “twig-eater” or eater of twigs.