# Shiras elk

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North American subspecies of elk

Shiras moose Temporal range: Late Pleistocene—Holocene A bull moose at the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Placentalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Alces Species: A. alces Subspecies: A. a. shirasi Trinomial name Alces alces shirasi (Nelson, 1914) Synonyms Alces americanus shirasi

The **Shiras moose** (***Alces alces shirasi***), **Wyoming moose** or **Yellowstone moose** is the southernmost subspecies of [moose](/source/Moose) in North America.

## Taxonomy

[Edward William Nelson](/source/Edward_William_Nelson) proposed the scientific name *Alces americanus shirasi* for a moose from [Snake River](/source/Snake_River), Wyoming, in 1914. He named this subspecies after [George Shiras III](/source/George_Shiras_III), who is credited for the discovery of this moose subspecies.[1]

Moose are sometimes divided into two species: the American moose and the European elk. In this taxonomy, Shiras moose are classified into the former species, much like Nelson's classification.[2]

### Evolution

Deer are divided into two subfamilies: the [Cervinae](/source/Cervinae) and the [Capreolinae](/source/Capreolinae), whose lineages split at least 13.8 million years ago.[3] Moose fall into the latter group, which includes reindeer and roe deer as well.

Moose are the only extant members of the [Alceini](/source/Alceini). This group includes the extinct *Cervalces latifrons*, the ancestor of modern moose.[4] Moose, an Old World-derived species, crossed the [Bering land bridge](/source/Beringia) approximately 14,000 years ago.[5]

## Description

This subspecies is the smallest moose subspecies in North America. In Alberta, Adult males (bulls) typically range from 393–488 kg (868–1,076 lb) and stand about 185–199 cm at the shoulder. Adult females (cows) typically range from 348–441 kg (768–973 lb) and stand about 184–195 cm at the shoulder.[6] This is in accordance with [Bergmann's rule](/source/Bergmann's_rule), which predicts larger organisms are found throughout more colder regions.[7] The fur colour of Shiras moose is usually deep brown whilst their lower legs are light grey.[8]

## Distribution and habitat

Shiras moose are the most southerly distributed of the North American moose. This subspecies is found across the northern [Rocky Mountains](/source/Rocky_Mountains).

Several records of moose have existed in Colorado: Milton Estes documented shooting a moose amongst a wapiti herd in 1863 at [Estes Park](/source/Estes_Park%2C_Colorado).[9] Moose fossils have been found in [Jurgens Site](/source/Jurgens_Site) and [Mesa Verde National Park](/source/Mesa_Verde_National_Park).[10] Whilst moose have roamed Colorado, they never established a breeding population in that state. In 1978, 24 moose from Utah and Wyoming were reintroduced to Colorado.[11]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Nelson, Edward William](/source/Edward_William_Nelson). "Description of a new subspecies of moose from Wyoming". *Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington*. **27** (1). [Biological Society of Washington](/source/Biological_Society_of_Washington): 73–75.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Rostal, Melinda K.; Evans, Alina L.; Solberg, Erling J.; Arnemo, Jon M. (July 2012). ["Hematology and Serum Chemistry Reference Ranges of Free-ranging Moose (Alces alces) in Norway"](https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article/48/3/548/121858/HEMATOLOGY-AND-SERUM-CHEMISTRY-REFERENCE-RANGES-OF). *Journal of Wildlife Diseases*. **48** (3): 548–559. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.7589/0090-3558-48.3.548](https://doi.org/10.7589%2F0090-3558-48.3.548). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11250/134494](https://hdl.handle.net/11250%2F134494). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0090-3558](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0090-3558). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [22740520](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22740520).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Mennecart, Bastien; DeMiguel, Daniel; Bibi, Faysal; Rössner, Gertrud E.; Métais, Grégoire; Neenan, James M.; Wang, Shiqi; Schulz, Georg; Müller, Bert; Costeur, Loïc (2017-10-13). ["Bony labyrinth morphology clarifies the origin and evolution of deer"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5640792). *Scientific Reports*. **7** (1): 13176. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2017NatSR...713176M](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017NatSR...713176M). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/s41598-017-12848-9](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41598-017-12848-9). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2045-2322](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2045-2322). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [5640792](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5640792). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [29030580](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29030580).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Meiri, Meirav; Lister, Adrian; Kosintsev, Pavel; Zazula, Grant; Barnes, Ian (October 2020). ["Population dynamics and range shifts of moose ( Alces alces ) during the Late Quaternary"](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jbi.13935). *Journal of Biogeography*. **47** (10): 2223–2234. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2020JBiog..47.2223M](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020JBiog..47.2223M). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/jbi.13935](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fjbi.13935). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0305-0270](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0305-0270).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Groves, P.; Mann, D.H.; Kunz, M.L. (November 2022). ["Prehistoric perspectives can help interpret the present: 14 000 years of moose (Alces alces) in the Western Arctic"](https://doi.org/10.1139%2Fcjz-2022-0079). *Canadian Journal of Zoology*. **100** (11): 732–746. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2022CaJZ..100..732G](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022CaJZ..100..732G). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1139/cjz-2022-0079](https://doi.org/10.1139%2Fcjz-2022-0079). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0008-4301](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0008-4301).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Weights and Measurements of Moose, Alces Alces Shirasi"](https://www.alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/download/905/981). *www.alcesjournal.org*. Retrieved 2026-05-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Lattuga, Danielle (2020-05-24). ["How Do Montana's Moose Measure Up? 'Field Notes' Investigates"](https://www.mtpr.org/arts-culture/2020-05-24/how-do-montanas-moose-measure-up-field-notes-investigates). *Montana Public Radio*. Retrieved 2025-12-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Spomer, Ron (August 2005). [*Big Game Hunter's Guide to Montana*](https://books.google.com/books?id=NPlEz_tLFfkC&pg=PA89). Wilderness Adventures Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-932098-32-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-932098-32-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Miller, Michael (2025-08-11). ["Invasive moose in Colorado? Not so fast, expert says"](https://www.uc.edu/content/uc/news/articles/2025/08/uc-expert-weighs-in-on-colorado-moose-question.html). *UC News*. Retrieved 2025-12-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Moose are on the loose | Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine | University of Colorado Boulder"](https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2025/08/13/moose-are-loose). *www.colorado.edu*. Retrieved 2025-12-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Phillips, Kate (2024-10-23). ["Colorado's moose boom leaves an impact"](https://soprissun.com/colorados-moose-boom-leaves-an-impact/). *The Sopris Sun*. Retrieved 2025-12-24.

Taxon identifiers Alces alces shirasi Wikidata: Q12010961 Wikispecies: Alces alces shirasi EoL: 4446235 GBIF: 8975089 iNaturalist: 415475

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