These moose facts will really amoose you! Find out all about these fascinating animals and their habitat with these fifteen fun moose facts! Discover where they live, who they're related to and which country has made them their national animal! Check out more amazing animal facts here! How about these furry ferret facts? Or maybe you fancy these amazing snow leopard facts! You might even be interested in some slimy slug facts!

1. They Live in North America and Europe

Moose are native to cold, northern countries like the USA, Canada, Poland and Russia, amongst other places. They have thick fur designed to keep them warm in chilly temperatures. Sweden is the country with the densest moose population. No, that doesn't mean they're stupid, it means there's a lot of them!

2. They Are Very Big

As the largest member of the deer family, moose are pretty big - they can weight up to 1800lbs! That's about 18 of you! The biggest ever moose (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) was over 7ft tall!

3. They Are the Same Thing as Elk

In UK English, moose are known as elk, and the ones found in Europe are generally referred to as such. In Northern American English, they're called moose! But it's the same animal! The word 'elk' is thought to come from the Old English 'elch', whilst 'moose' comes from indigenous American languages. Now you know!

4. Only Male Moose Have Antlers

If you see a moose with antlers, it's a boy! (or a 'bull'). Moose antlers are also pretty big - they can be about 5 feet wide and weigh up to 30lbs! Antlers are made of bone, but they have an outer covering of soft, velvety fur which is full of blood vessels to help them grow.

5. Moose lose their antlers

Moose antlers are not part of their skeletons - they grow and drop off after mating season. The main use for antlers is for the males to fight each other, and to look impressive to the lady moose! They only take three to five months to grow back, which is very fast for a body part!

6. You Can Tell How Old a Moose is From His Antlers

Moose antlers will tell you what age their owner is! The diameter of the antlers will tell you - the bigger it is, the older the moose! However, that's only true up to a point - once a moose is 'past its prime' its antlers will probably be smaller and weaker than before.

7. They Are Members of the Deer Family

As we said before, moose are the biggest member of the deer family, which means they're related to other animals like reindeer, roe deer and the cervus! It also means that like deer, they have cloven hooves - two 'toes' on each foot!

8. The Irish Elk Was Even Bigger than Moose

If you think moose are big, they've got an even bigger ancestor! The Irish elk is an extinct giant deer that used to live in places like, you guessed it, Ireland! Remains show that the Irish elk could be up to 6 ft 11'' tall, with an antler diameter of up to 12 feet! That's very big indeed!

9. They Can Swim!

Yes, moose swim! In fact, they're pretty good at swimming - they can swim up to ten miles without stopping! Since moose live in areas with lots of rivers and lakes, its vital they can swim so they can get to ground with more food, or escape from land bound predators.

10. They Can Outrun You

Moose are also pretty nifty on their feet - they can out run humans, even as calves! Moose can run up to 35mph on land, which is much faster than our measly average of 6pmh! Don't worry though - its pretty unlikely that a moose will ever chase you!

11. They Are Prey Animals

Moose are herbivores, which means they eat plants, including shrubs, bark and leaves. They're also a prey animal, which means they're food for predators like cougars, bears and lynx. However, their massive antlers means they can put up a pretty good fight - would you want to be in a fight with a moose?

12. Humans Are Their Biggest Problem

A moose is actually more likely to be hit by a car than eaten by a bear. As well as this, moose are hunted in many of the places where they live. Be careful! Moose can get very aggressive when they feel threatened!

13. And Some People Eat Moose, Too

Yup, if you really want to, you can eat moose! And it's surprisingly good for you, too! Moose meat is low fat, lean and high in protein! So maybe consider it for your next barbecue!

14. Moose are Loners

Unlike deer, the moose is pretty solitary. They prefer to hang out along unless its mating season. Even young moose will only stay with their mums for a bit before its time to head off into the wild!

15. The Moose is The National Animal of a Few Places

You probably associate moose with Canada, because there's so many of them there, but they're not actually Canadas official national animal! Canada actually counts the beaver as its official mascot, and the Canadian horse! However, the moose IS the national animal of Sweden and Norway!