# I know that moose get big, but yikes! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651 "2009-12-17T16:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/21 "2009-12-17T18:55:52Z")
That’s a huge animal, but I agree that its ludicrous size in that photo is a matter of perspective. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/22 "2009-12-17T19:01:17Z")
After seeing those giant feral pigs in the news lately I don’t know what to believe anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/23 "2009-12-17T19:03:23Z")
If you think of the road as one you might see a pickup truck on then yes the moose looks too big. If it is really an ATV trail it might only be 6 ft wide and the moose looks about right. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/24 "2009-12-17T19:29:12Z")
The other thing is, Moose are simply fucking huge. From wikipedia: > [@](#): > > On average, an adult moose stands 1.8–2.1 m (6–7 ft) high at the shoulder.[9] Males weigh 380–720 kg (850–1580 pounds) and females weigh 270–360 kg (600–800 pounds).[10] The largest of all is the Alaskan subspecies (A. a. gigas), which can stand over 2.1 m (7 ft) at the shoulder, has a span across the antlers of 1.8 m (6 ft) and averages 634.5 kg (1,396 lbs) in males and 478 kg (1,052 lbs) in females.[11] Typically, however, the antlers of a mature specimen are between 1.2 m (3.9 ft) and 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The largest confirmed size for this species was a bull shot at the Yukon River in September 1897 weighing 820 kg (1,800 lb) and was 233 cm (92 in) tall at the shoulder.[12] The Moose of Alaska matches the extinct Irish Elk as the largest deer of all time.[13] Behind only the bison, the Moose is the second largest land animal in both North America and Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/25 "2009-12-17T19:41:13Z")
Aaaand, more moose images, taken by my mom. From my mom’s, you know, blog. [http://akelaine.blogspot.com/search/label/Moose](http://akelaine.blogspot.com/search/label/Moose) More images of moose crossing roads found around the interweb, to show that moose really are really big. > **[TobinPhoto Home](https://tobinphoto.com/)** [http://www.iawf.org.uk/index.aspx?page=2&articleid=1009](http://www.iawf.org.uk/index.aspx?page=2&articleid=1009) [![](http://www.thundermountaintours.com/scenicgallery/pg-scenic-53.jpg) ](http://www.thundermountaintours.com/scenicgallery/pg-scenic-53.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/26 "2009-12-17T20:04:54Z")
Yeah, I don’t think it’s 'shopped. It’s just that the trees and road are smaller than you think, so it creates an optical illusion. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/27 "2009-12-17T20:10:46Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Yeah, I don’t think it’s 'shopped. It’s just that the trees and road are smaller than you think, so it creates an optical illusion. The photog is probably be kneeling too. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/28 "2009-12-17T21:13:17Z")
Years ago I was camping at Gros Ventre Campground, near the Tetons. I asked the ranger where I might see some moose. “Oh, there are three sub-adult males that wander through the campground,” she said “keep an eye out for them at dusk and dawn.” Sure enough, the next couple of mornings, the “sub adults” would cruise through, much to the amazement/dismay of the campers. They were huge! It was sort of scary how casual they were, walking right past peoples tents and campsites. I have a picture somewhere of one standing next to a VW Beetle, and the moose dwarfs it. Luckily people had the good sense to give them plenty of room. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/29 "2009-12-17T21:22:07Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Aaaand, more moose images, taken by my mom. From my mom’s, you know, blog. > > [Arctic View: Moose](http://akelaine.blogspot.com/search/label/Moose) > More images of moose crossing roads found around the interweb, to show that moose really are really big. > [http://stock.tobinphoto.com/moose-pictures-180.htm](http://stock.tobinphoto.com/moose-pictures-180.htm) > [http://www.iawf.org.uk/index.aspx?page=2&articleid=1009](http://www.iawf.org.uk/index.aspx?page=2&articleid=1009) > [http://www.thundermountaintours.com/scenicgallery/pg-scenic-53.jpg](http://www.thundermountaintours.com/scenicgallery/pg-scenic-53.jpg) You can see from those shots why hitting moose in your car is so dangerous - you snap off the legs and that big body goes right into your windshield. I was driving back from Kananaskis park (in the Rocky Mountains) late one evening, and an adolescent moose decided to trot along beside the car. He trotted along with us for miles - it was surreal and very cool. He was just an adolescent, but he was a couple of feet taller than the car already. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/30 "2009-12-17T21:25:11Z")
A moose once bit my sister. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/31 "2009-12-17T21:31:23Z")
I am pretty sure that it’s a shopped pic. That thing would be about 10 to 12 feet at the shoulder if you compare it to the background. The fir tree to his right in the second pic is a relatively mature tree and I would estimate that the width at the bend just after the base is about 5 to 6 inches. Transfer it to a something like Paint, get a square paintbrush that is as wide as the tree and I counted 25 blocks ground to shoulder. \*realizes as he pushes the post button, the onslaught that’s probably coming. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/32 "2009-12-17T21:32:54Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You can see from those shots why hitting moose in your car is so dangerous - you snap off the legs and that big body goes right into your windshield. This is a bit gross but an EMT I know responded to a call where a couple had hit a moose and it was stuck in the windshield. They think the woman survived the impact but the moose thrashed around enough to decapitate her with a kick. I can only imagine how traumatic that experience had to have been for her partner who apparently survived (I didn’t ask for details). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/33 "2009-12-17T21:37:58Z")
The pines look okay to me, actually - they look like lodgepole pines. The pine to the left of the picture that you can see best looks about 20 feet tall, and the moose is a little less than half of that - seems kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/34 "2009-12-17T21:39:08Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > This is a bit gross but an EMT I know responded to a call where a couple had hit a moose and it was stuck in the windshield. They think the woman survived the impact but the moose thrashed around enough to decapitate her with a kick. I can only imagine how traumatic that experience had to have been for her partner who apparently survived (I didn’t ask for details). GAH! ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/35 "2009-12-17T21:45:17Z")
Hmm. Most of the moose pictures posted in this thread look fakey to me. Not the size of the animals - I’ve seen moose in the wild and I totally know how big they get. It is something about their legs and hooves. Maybe it is because I am used to horse legs and hooves. The moose legs look wonky. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/36 "2009-12-17T21:59:00Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > I am pretty sure that it’s a shopped pic. That thing would be about 10 to 12 feet at the shoulder if you compare it to the background. The fir tree to his right in the second pic is a relatively mature tree and I would estimate that the width at the bend just after the base is about 5 to 6 inches. Transfer it to a something like Paint, get a square paintbrush that is as wide as the tree and I counted 25 blocks ground to shoulder. > > \*realizes as he pushes the post button, the onslaught that’s probably coming. Here’s the thing. What leads you to believe that the width at the bend is 5 to 6 inches? You’ve got no scale to base that on other than how big you think an old tree should be. Trees in northern regions grow short and spindly. I grew up in Fairbanks Alaska, and you can go out into a muskeg region and cut down a 6 foot tall black spruce and count the tree rings and it can be 50 years old. You expect mature trees to be bigger because that’s what you’re used to. But old gnarly mature trees can be tiny if there’s a short growing season and poor nutrients. Of course the only moose pictures that I can guarantee aren’t photoshopped are the ones taken by my mom. But that moose picture doesn’t look out of line to me. You see a gigantic moose next to big trees and a wide road. I see a big moose next to little trees and a narrow track. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/37 "2009-12-17T22:10:58Z")
I think it’s shopped. Aside from the scale looking weird, I don’t think you should see highlights on the mooses front leg nor should you see light difusing around the edges of the moose. That indicates that there is a lightsource directly behind him and that light should be blocked by the forest, given the angle of the tree’s shadows. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/38 "2009-12-17T23:12:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think it’s shopped. Aside from the scale looking weird, I don’t think you should see highlights on the mooses front leg nor should you see light difusing around the edges of the moose. That indicates that there is a lightsource directly behind him and that light should be blocked by the forest, given the angle of the tree’s shadows. Don’t forget the camera lens may be compressing the back ground. There may be much wider gaps between the trees than how it looks in the picture. This happens when you have a decent depth of field. Stuff further in the background is in focus making it look less 3-D. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/39 "2009-12-17T23:16:17Z")
I meant the tree to his left. Lemur866, Which is fine if the picture was taken in northern regions, but there is nothing in the picture that makes me think it is in a northern region. My guess would be somewhere between New Brunswick and Ontario. If that is the case I think my tree size guess is fairly accurate. Look at the foilage in the picture. Look at the tall tree just right of center. I’ve spent alot of time in the bush in the eastern half of Canada and I have seen alot of moose in the wild and that is my guess, and I would say late October to second or third week of November. I know it sounds like alot of speculation, but I feel pretty confidant. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651/40 "2009-12-17T23:29:49Z")
I don’t see anything odd about the shadows, the angle of the moose’s legs, the background, or anything else. In fact I think it looks perfectly normal as the moose moves away from the photographer and the photographer maybe zooms in. Is there a single photo on the 'net that someone has not claimed is faked? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-that-moose-get-big-but-yikes/521651.md?page=3)