How many bones do moose have?

by Matthew

Moose Jaw Bones

Moose Jaw Bones

Please answer this question. I can't find the answer anywhere and I've looked all over the internet. Moose are my current hyperfixation and I don't think I can function properly again until I know.


Matthew, I do apologize for my late response. I don't have the exact number on hand so I reached out to a friend of mine (moose biologist) but unfortunately he is currently in the hospital so I don't know when I can tell you the exact number of bones moose have in their skeletons.
I can tell you a few things though:
  • Moose have 13 pairs of ribs.
  • Moose postcranial (behind the head) skeleton have 33 vertebrae.
  • The cranium consists of 38 bones.
  • Moose have 32 permanent teeth.

I hope this is of some help. When I find out the answer to your question, I will update this webpage.
Thx for the question. ~ Mark

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Moose Tongue

by Allison
(Ridgeland, SC, USA)

How long is the average tongue of a moose?
Why do moose lick cars?


Allison, thank you for your questions. Unfortunately I don't have the answer to: How long is the average tongue of a moose?

I can provide a bit of insight about them though.
Moose have the longest movable part of a tongue of any deer, that part is an incredible 36% of the overall length. It is thought that moose can only taste four basic things: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Bull moose make a smacking sound with their tongue which indicates a highly emotional state, usually displayed during the rut to attract females.

Your second question regarding moose licking cars. Moose lick cars to recover the road salt. Moose will frequent areas of the forest that are called "Licks" where naturally occurring salt is available on the ground. The moose will lick this , as just like humans, they need some salt in their diet.
Especially in winter when highway crews have spread salt or saline solutions to rid the roads of ice is when automobiles will gather the road salt. So in essence, cars become :Licks" too!

~ Mark - The Mooseman

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by Mark Allardyce

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