Had there been records of Moose (Alces alces) in the appalachians? [Greatvalley-map] [1280px-Moose_superior]

They are certainly present in the hills of western Massachusetts: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=2&quality_grade=research&subview=map&taxon_id=522193

My memory was “yes” from CT northwards. And iNat seems to agree. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&quality_grade=research&subview=map&taxon_id=522193

But were there historic records of Moose in the southern u.s part of the appalachians?

I tried to do a bit of googling because I was curious and ended up finding articles talking about how Elk are returning to southern appalachia (which is true, they’ve been reintroduced.) I feel like if Moose were a historic species that had been extirpated from their range by colonialization like t…

Looks like PA may have been their southern limit historically. This is just a quick search and it may not be the accepted opinion. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Range-of-moose-in-the-northeastern-United-States-dashed-line-represents-southern-edge-of_fig1_264039534

In the Southern Appalachians? I’d doubt it. Moose are, IIRC, really susceptible to warm weather (one of the reasons they are so uncommon in captivity outside of their native range). The further South one goes down the Appalachians, the less consistently cold habitat space is available and the more t…

Pretty common in Central MA Quabbin area but not very easy to see (more often tracks or scat). I’ve also seen them on trail cameras in Western MA. Easiest place to actually see them seems to be a couple of areas in NH.

Moose in the appalachians

Nature Talk

Topic		Replies	Views
Small moose sightings in mountains above Boise Nature Talk	5	629	December 21, 2021
Biomes of Appalachian Mountains and mid atlantic region of USA Nature Talk	0	465	May 19, 2019
Prospective Appalachian Wildflower Expedition Nature Talk	14	726	November 24, 2023
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Nature Talk	19	2556	July 29, 2023
Elk in Upstate South Carolina?!?! Nature Talk question	3	164	January 28, 2025

Moose in the appalachians

Related topics