![]() ![]() John Clayton, in his account of the Virginia Quadrupeds, calls the Elke … was in all respects like those of our red-deer or stags, only larger … The Black Moose is (by all that have hitherto write of it) accounted a very large creature. As to the Grey Moose, I take it to be no larger than what Mr. ![]() “The common light-Grey Moose, called by the Indians, Wampoose, and the large or Black-Moose, which is the beast whose horns I herewith present. In the earlier days of colonization, the Wapiti was often called a “Grey Moose” and the Moose was often called a “Black Moose”, but early accounts of the animals varied wildly, adding to the confusion.įor example, in 1736, Samuel Dale wrote to the Royal Society of Great Britain: As the Moose was obviously a strange deer to the colonists, they often adopted local names for both. A Universal Etymological English Dictionary Royal Exchange). Dictionaries of the 18th century simply described “Elk” as a deer that was “as large as a horse” (Bailey, Nathan (1731). As noted previously, the word “Elk” in English refers to a completely different species of deer, Cervus canadensis, also called the Wapiti.Īccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origin of the naming of the Moose species is “of obscure history The word “Elk” remained in usage because of English-speakers’ familiarity with the species in Continental Europe however, without any living animals around to serve as a reference, the meaning became rather vague, and by the 17th century “Elk” had a meaning similar to “large deer”. Īlces alces is referred to as a “Moose” in North American English, but an “Elk” in British English(Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Typically inhabiting boreal forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates, their stature and size as well as their nasal vocalisations form an aura of mystic that demands attention should one be lucky enough to encounter a mature animal in the wild. Most adult male Moose have distinctive presence with broad, palmated antlers. Their distribution is spread across several continents of the world from North America, Europe and Asia. After the Bison, it is the largest terrestrial animal in North America, Siberia, and Europe. The Moose (Alces alces), is the largest and heaviest species of the deer family in North America. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |