moose the name used for the N. American counterpart of the European elk. There are differing views about the taxonomy of this group of large animals in the deer family. Many authorities consider that it is best to regard them all as belonging to a single species, Alces, but to recognize a number of subspecies. On this basis the moose of N. America would not be classified as Alces americana (sometimes treated as two species, the second being the Alaskan moose and classified as A. gigas), as in the past, but as a subspecies of A. alces.
