CreatureData

Moose vs Water deer

The moose is heavier: 357 kg against 14 kg for the water deer, about 26 times the weight.

Moose (Alces alces)
Moose LCLeast Concern
Photo: Badzil · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Water deer (Hydropotes inermis)
Water deer VUVulnerable
Photo: Altaileopard · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

What is the difference between a moose and a water deer?

Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.

  • The moose is heavier: 357 kg against 14 kg for the water deer, about 26 times the weight.
  • The moose is longer-lived: 27 years against 13 years for the water deer, about 2.1 times the lifespan.
  • They share the family Cervidae but sit in different genera: Moose in Alces, Water deer in Hydropotes.
  • The moose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; the water deer is Vulnerable.

Side by side

MooseWater deer
Scientific nameAlces alcesHydropotes inermis
FamilyCervidaeCervidae
OrderArtiodactylaArtiodactyla
Weight351 kg – 789 kg12.8 kg – 14 kg
LengthNot recordedNot recorded
Lifespan27 years13 years
Main foodforb, polypodiopsida, populus tremuloides, potamogeton distinctus, salix, taraxacumNot recorded
Habitatshrublandforest
Conservation statusLeast ConcernVulnerable
Countries recordedNot recordedNot recorded

A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.

Full record: MooseFull record: Water deerCompare other animals