An adult moose stands 1.4 to 2.1m (4.6 to 6.9ft) at the shoulder, from about four-fifths of an average UK man (1.78m) to 18% taller than him, and the biggest on record reached 2.33m (7ft 8in). A Scottish red deer stag averages 122cm at the shoulder and a roe deer about 65cm.
Deer shoulder heights compared
Heights are at the shoulder. The last column compares each with the UK average man (178.21cm), rounded to the nearest whole number.
| Animal | Shoulder height | Share of UK average man |
|---|---|---|
| Roe deer | 63 to 67cm (2ft 1in to 2ft 2in) | 35% to 38% |
| Red deer (whole species) | 95 to 130cm (37 to 51in) | 53% to 73% |
| Red deer hind (Scotland, average) | 114cm (45in) | 64% |
| Red deer stag (Scotland, average) | 122cm (48in) | 68% |
| Moose (average adult) | 1.4 to 2.1m (4.6 to 6.9ft) | 79% to 118% |
| Moose (Alaskan, largest subspecies) | over 2.1m (6ft 11in) | over 118% |
| Moose (largest confirmed) | 2.33m (7ft 8in) | 131% |
| Irish elk (extinct) | about 2m (6ft 7in) | 112% |
The roe deer range is the species-level figure on its page. The red deer whole-species range is cited there to a 1993 reference, and the Scottish figures are averages for animals in Scotland.
| Name | Height |
|---|---|
| Roe deer | 65 cm |
| Red deer stag (Scotland) | 122 cm |
| UK average man | 178.2 cm |
| Moose (average, midpoint) | 175 cm |
How tall is a moose?
The moose is the largest deer. Wikipedia puts the average adult at 1.4 to 2.1m at the shoulder, more than 30cm above the wapiti, the next largest. Subspecies differ: the European elk is 1.7 to 2.1m, the Ussuri moose of eastern Asia 1.65 to 1.85m, and the Alaskan subspecies can stand over 2.1m.
The tallest confirmed individual was a Yukon River bull shot in September 1897, at 2.33m and 820kg. A shoulder height of 2.33m is 31% above the UK average man. Antlers add well over a metre above the head.
Red deer and roe deer in Britain
The red deer is the large deer most often seen in Britain. The whole species runs from about 95 to 130cm at the shoulder. In Scotland, stags average 122cm and 201cm in head-and-body length, while hinds average 114cm and 180cm.
The roe deer is much smaller, at 63 to 67cm and 95 to 135cm long. A roe deer is roughly 38% of the height of the average man at its tallest.
The Irish elk: the giant deer
The extinct Irish elk stood about 2m at the shoulder, within the range of a large moose, but with far larger antlers. Their span could exceed 4.2m, and the holotype skull from Barmeath Castle reaches 4.26m tip to tip. The heaviest antlers weighed about 40kg.
Body mass is estimated at about 450 to 600kg, and up to 700kg or more. For other animals from this period see Ice Age giants compared with a human.
How does a moose compare with other animals?
A moose is far shorter than a giraffe, as how tall a giraffe is compared with a human shows, and shorter at the shoulder than an elephant (see how tall an elephant is compared with a human).
Method and sources
Heights are as stated on the Wikipedia pages listed above, read on 29 October 2026. Subspecies figures for the moose come from that page’s subspecies table. Reindeer, white-tailed deer, fallow deer and muntjac are left out because the pages read gave no clear shoulder-height figure for the species as a whole. Midpoints on the board are simple averages of the stated range ends. The UK average man (178.21cm) comes from this site’s dataset, compiled from NCD-RisC. Percentages are simple division, rounded. Inches convert at 2.54cm. Last reviewed 29 October 2026.
Open the comparison board to stand a moose or deer beside a person, or use the height converter to switch units.