Alces

Alces
Moose (Alces alces)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Tribe: Alceini
Genus: Alces
Gray, 1821
Type species
Alces alces
Species

Alces is a genus of artiodactyl mammals, that includes the largest species of the deer family.[1] There are two species in genus: the moose (Alces alces) and the fossil Alces gallicus (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), and the extinct Gallic moose is more often referred to the genus Cervalces, since the structure of their antlers looks similar.[2]

"American moose"

Sometimes the species Alces alces is divided into two separate species - European and American moose (A. americanus).[3] The American moose, contrary to its name, includes all subspecies of moose, except European and Caucasian moose, 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 American and Asian subspecies have greater presence of chromosomes, than European subspecies - they have 68 of them, and "American moose" subspecies has 70.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Genus Alces". Mammal Species of the World. Bucknell Univesity.
  2. ^ "TAXONOMY AND STRATIGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE OF MOOSE (ALCINI, CERVIDAE, MAMMALIA) IN THE LATE CENOZOIC OF EURASIA AND NORTH AMERICA" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  3. ^ "Species Alces americanus". Mammal Species of the World. Bucknell Univesity.
  4. ^ The Great Russian Encyclopedia : [in 35 volumes]/ / ch. ed. by Yu. S. Osipov. — M. : The Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2004-2017.
  5. ^ Diversity of mammals / O. L. Rossolimo, I. Ya. Pavlinov, S. V. Kruskop, A. A. Lisovsky, N. N. Spasskaya, A.V. Borisenko, A. A. Panyutina. — M. : Publishing House KMK, 2004. — [992] p. — (Diversity of animals). — ISBN 5-87317-098-3.