A large African elephant can reach 14,000 pounds in weight and nearly 13 feet at the shoulder, compared with about 1,800 pounds and nearly 7 feet for a giant moose.
The difference becomes even more impressive when you compare their body length and overall build. The moose may be the largest deer species in the world, but an elephant is in a completely different class when it comes to size.
How Big Is a Moose?
Average Moose Height and Weight
A typical bull moose stands between 5 and 6.5 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs between 840 and 1,500 pounds, depending on the subspecies. Cows (female moose) are smaller, usually weighing several hundred pounds less than bulls.
Biggest Moose Subspecie
The Alaska moose (Alces alces gigas) is the largest moose subspecies in the world. Big bulls stand close to 7 feet at the shoulder and weigh between 1,200 and 1,600 pounds. The heaviest moose ever recorded weighed 1,808 pounds — roughly the weight of a small car.
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How Big Is an Elephant?
African Elephant Size
The African bush elephant is the biggest of the two species. Bulls can weigh between 5,000 and 14,000 pounds and stand up to 13 feet tall at the shoulder. Their massive ears, which help them cool down in hot climates, can grow larger than a bedsheet.
Asian Elephant Size
The Asian elephant is smaller than its African cousin but still enormous compared to a moose. Bulls typically weigh between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds and stand around 9 to 11 feet tall at the shoulder.
Moose vs Elephant Size Comparison Table
| Measurement | Moose (Alaska) | African Elephant |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder height | Up to 7 feet | Up to 13 feet |
| Weight | Up to 1,800 pounds | Up to 14,000 pounds |
| Diet | Herbivore (browser) | Herbivore (browser/grazer) |
| Habitat | Boreal forests, North America | Savannas, forests, Sub-Saharan Africa |
Height Comparison
An elephant stands nearly twice as tall as a moose at the shoulder. Even the tallest recorded moose, at 7.6 feet, would only reach about the height of an average elephant’s front legs.
Weight Comparison
The weight gap is even bigger. A record-breaking African elephant can outweigh the heaviest moose ever recorded by nearly 8 times. In short, you could fit several moose worth of mass inside one elephant.
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Why Elephants Are Bigger Than Moose
Diet and Body Mass
Elephants eat up to 300 pounds of vegetation a day, fueling a much larger body frame. Moose eat far less — closer to 40 to 70 pounds daily — which naturally limits how much mass they can support.
Evolutionary Size Differences
Elephants evolved as megaherbivores, animals built for open savannas where size offers protection from predators and helps regulate body temperature. Moose evolved in cold, forested habitats, where being tall and agile mattered more than sheer bulk.
Moose Compared to Other Animals
Moose vs Elephant
As shown above, the elephant wins by a wide margin in both height and weight. There’s no real contest here — elephants belong in a size class of their own among land mammals.
Moose vs Bison
Bison can actually outweigh a moose, reaching up to 2,000 pounds. But moose stand taller, giving each animal its own advantage depending on whether you’re measuring height or bulk.
Moose vs Elk
A big bull elk weighs around 1,000 pounds with a shoulder height near 5 feet. That’s roughly the size of a female moose — bull moose are noticeably bigger.
Moose vs Horse
The average quarter horse weighs about 1,200 pounds, similar to a Shiras moose, the smallest moose subspecies. Large draft horses can approach moose-sized weights but rarely match their shoulder height.
Moose vs Human
The average bull moose stands about a foot taller than the average adult human and can weigh 10 times more. A moose calf, at just 5 days old, can already outrun a grown adult.
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FAQ’s About Moose vs Elephant Size
Is a moose bigger than an elephant?
No. An elephant is far larger than a moose in both height and weight. Elephants can weigh up to 8 times more than the biggest moose on record.
How much bigger is an elephant than a moose?
An African elephant can be roughly 6 to 8 times heavier than a moose and nearly twice as tall at the shoulder.
Can a moose kill an elephant?
This isn’t something that happens in nature, since moose and elephants live on different continents and never encounter each other in the wild.
What is the biggest deer species in the world?
The moose is the largest living deer species, outweighing every other member of the deer family, including elk and caribou.
Hi, I’m Natalie Collins, the admin at MooseSizes.com. We simplify animal sizes, measurements, and wildlife comparisons with easy-to-follow guides, useful size charts, and accurate information to help you understand animal dimensions with confidence.
