''Alces'' is a genus of

artiodactyl Artiodactyls are placental mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla ( , ). Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other t ...

mammals, that includes the largest species of the

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

family. There are two species in genus: the

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

(''Alces alces'') and the fossil ''

Alces gallicus ''Alces gallicus'', also known as the Gallic moose, is an extinct species of moose, which has been found in Europe. It is believed to have lived in Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is th ...

'' (also known as the Gallic moose), that existed in the Pleistocene about 2 million years ago. Sometimes only one species is included in the genus, the modern moose (''Alces alces''), while the extinct Gallic moose is more often referred to the genus ''

Cervalces ''Cervalces'' is an extinct deer genus that lived during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. ''Cervalces gallicus'' is either classified as a species of the related '' Libralces'', or an ancestral species to other members of ''Cervalces''. It li ...

'', since the structure of their antlers looks similar.

"American moose"

Sometimes the species ''Alces alces'' is divided into two separate species - European moose (''A. alces),'' and American moose (''A. americanus''). The American moose, contrary to its name, includes all subspecies of moose except the

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

and

Caucasian moose The Caucasian moose, also known as the Caucasian elk (''Alces alces caucasicus'') is an extinct subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live ...

, which belong to the European moose. The presence of two modern species in the genus remains controversial. These animals are often divided into two species because the North American and Asian subspecies have greater presence of chromosomes than the European subspecies - European moose have 68 of them while "American moose" subspecies has 70.

Gallery

File:Moose-Gustav.jpg, European moose (''A. alces alces'') File:Bigbullmoose.jpg,

Alaskan moose The Alaska moose (''Alces alces gigas''), or Alaskan moose in Alaska, or giant moose and Yukon moose in Canada, is a subspecies of moose that ranges from Alaska to western Yukon. The Alaska moose is the largest subspecies of moose. Alaska moose ...

(''A. alces gigas'' or ''A. americanus gigas'') File:Bull shiras moose (Alces alces shirasi).webm, Shiras moose (''A. alces shirasi'' or ''A. americanus shirasi'') File:Moose in river animal alces americanus.jpg,

Eastern moose The eastern moose (''Alces alces americana'') is a subspecies of moose that currently ranges throughout Eastern Canada, New England and northern New York (state), New York State. It inhabits boreal forests and mixed deciduous forests. It is the t ...

(''A. alces americana'' or ''A. americanus americana'')

References

Alceini Mammals of Asia Mammals of Europe Mammals of North America Mammals described in 1821 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mammal genera with one living species {{Mammal-stub