• The moose released in NZ were the Canadian Northwestern moose (Alces alces andersoni), native to British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan
• Adult moose stand about 2m at the shoulder
• Moose reach to about 2.7m
  (cf.Red Deer 2m)
• Moose have no rump patch, the tail is almost invisible.
• Adult bull weighs about 450kg, cow weighs about 300kg.
• Only bulls have antlers which they cast annually
• Moose have a long nose with a prehensile upper lip, and a "dewlap", a flap of skin hanging under the chin.
• Moose are not social animals, usually found alone.
• they have superb senses of smell & hearing.
• Moose have acute vision for movement.

• Rutting male may make a 'croak' or 'grunt' or 'hiccup' sound.
• Oestrus female has a 'braying' or "moaning" call.
• In New Zealand moose rut around April.
• The gestation period is about 230 days after mating.
• Calves are born around early December, twinning only in good feed conditions
  
• Calves are weaned at five months but remain with the mother, usually for about a year
• Moose reach maturity at two years of age, and may live to 20.
• Moose cannot interbreed with other species of deer.

 Listen to moose calls

Bull Moose

Cow Moose

Listen to a  researcher  calling to a bull  & the bull replying

• Unlike most deer, moose are
  at home in the water & are
  strong swimmers, aiding their
  dispersal in the calm waterways
  of the Fiordland Sounds.
  Aquatic plants are seasonally
  favoured in North America,
  but there is no alternative in
  Fiordland.

• Moose have the physical &
  digestive ability to consume
  large-diameter twigs and bark.
  They are sensitive to
  temperature, becoming heat
  stressed in their winter coats
  over 5°C and in summer
  coats over 14°C.