5 ms·

in america, moose are elks. in europe, elks are moose.

alistairSH 6y ago
I'm confused. In America... The elk is a really big deer... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk Moose is a giant deer (bigger than elk) with a bulbous nose... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose If Europe refers to moose as elk, what do they call elk?
- dr_orpheus 6y ago
  Based on the comments and the Naming and Etymology section in the Elk wikipedia. I think in Europe the term "elk" refers to both elk and moose. "European explorers in North America...thought that the larger North American animal resembled a moose, and consequently gave it the name elk, which is the common European name for moose"
- war1025 6y ago
  > If Europe refers to moose as elk, what do they call elk? I believe the answer is they don't have an American Elk equivalent.
- samatman 6y ago
  Elk in the UK are referred to as red deer, though recent taxonomy has decided they are a different, albeit closely related, species. I don't know what they're called in other languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_deer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_deer
  - EdwardDiego 6y ago
    We call American elk wapiti in NZ, which I guess is a Native American name for them, and we consider them to be distinct from red deer - there's active management of the wapiti population (which is limited to Fiordland) to try to minimise hybridisation with red deer.
    - samatman 6y ago
      We call them wapiti as well, sometimes. It's more common in Canada. The line between a species and subspecies is blurry. I know for a fact that when I was a child, red deer and elk/wapiti were considered the same species, just like the Neanderthal were considered a subspecies of homo sapiens. I guess the splitters are ascendant in recent times.
- Pinus 6y ago
  Most people in Europe do not use English as their everyday language, and those who do have neither Alces alces nor Cervus canandensis at hand to look at. Which is probably why they got it wrong and applied the word "elk" to the wrong animal once they got across the pond. They should have asked some Scandinavians. :-)
- magicalhippo 6y ago
  The Norwegian Wikipedia article calls our "elg" for Alces alces, while saying the larger American moose is considered a sub-species Alces americanus. [1]: https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elg https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elg

I'm confused. In America... The elk is a really big deer... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk Moose is a giant deer (bigger than elk) with a bulbous nose... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose If Europe refers to moose as elk, what do they call elk?

dr_orpheus 6y ago
Based on the comments and the Naming and Etymology section in the Elk wikipedia. I think in Europe the term "elk" refers to both elk and moose. "European explorers in North America...thought that the larger North American animal resembled a moose, and consequently gave it the name elk, which is the common European name for moose"
war1025 6y ago
> If Europe refers to moose as elk, what do they call elk? I believe the answer is they don't have an American Elk equivalent.
samatman 6y ago
Elk in the UK are referred to as red deer, though recent taxonomy has decided they are a different, albeit closely related, species. I don't know what they're called in other languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_deer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_deer
- EdwardDiego 6y ago
  We call American elk wapiti in NZ, which I guess is a Native American name for them, and we consider them to be distinct from red deer - there's active management of the wapiti population (which is limited to Fiordland) to try to minimise hybridisation with red deer.
  - samatman 6y ago
    We call them wapiti as well, sometimes. It's more common in Canada. The line between a species and subspecies is blurry. I know for a fact that when I was a child, red deer and elk/wapiti were considered the same species, just like the Neanderthal were considered a subspecies of homo sapiens. I guess the splitters are ascendant in recent times.
Pinus 6y ago
Most people in Europe do not use English as their everyday language, and those who do have neither Alces alces nor Cervus canandensis at hand to look at. Which is probably why they got it wrong and applied the word "elk" to the wrong animal once they got across the pond. They should have asked some Scandinavians. :-)
magicalhippo 6y ago
The Norwegian Wikipedia article calls our "elg" for Alces alces, while saying the larger American moose is considered a sub-species Alces americanus. [1]: https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elg https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elg