Who would win in a fight a bison or an elk?

Answer 1

First of all, lets compare the size differences here. A male muskox has an average weight of around 800 lbs and stand 4 to 5 ft. at the shoulder. The average weight of a bull moose is 1200 lbs, ranging between 850 to 1600 lbs, and they stand between 6 to 7 ft at the shoulder. Muskoxen have short sharp horns, whereas moose have large, broad heavy, multi-pointed antlers. Muskox have a very dense coat of hair to protect them from the cold and nasty Arctic blizzards, whereas moose have a coat that is half as dense but serves the same purpose, except that moose live in more sheltered forests south of the Arctic circle. Muskoxen are herd animals whereas moose are solitary.

Muskoxen use their heads and horns as a form of defense against rivals and predators, and their thick hair coat also serves as a good defense mechanism because it makes it harder for predators like wolves and polar bears to pierce their flesh. Moose, on the other hand, use their sharp long hooves, and antlers as a means to defend themselves. They can rear up and strike out at enemies in front and deliver a powerful kick if there are enemies behind it. Moose are very powerful animals enabling them not only to manage living with such a large rack of antlers (each antler weighs around 40 lbs), but also use those antlers to fight other bull moose and even send a wolf, coyote or bear flying if they get too close and are not fast enough to get away.

So, to answer the question "Who would win," it's likely that the moose would win because not only does a moose reach twice the weight AND height of a muskox, but those powerful rack of antlers would make any muskox, regardless of sex, turn and run the other way. An angry bull moose can put a muskox on its side and proceed to gore it with his antlers as much as it can. If a point gets near the belly it could be the end for that muskox. But the thick hair of a muskox may be able to save it enough to live, but not enough to be able to win a fight against a bull moose.

However, a muskox may be able to win against a bull moose if one of those horns happen to get into the bull's belly, or if a charge from a muskox breaks a moose's legs. But it's not likely that the latter could happen since bull moose would be able to get its head down fast enough to defend against a head-butt with a muskox. But even so, that head-butt/charge may cause a serious concussion to the moose, stunning it or, if it's really serious, ending its life.

Ultimately though, one can really never know which will win if such a fight happened, more because these two animals have never met because they live in two different biomes: Muskox belong to the Arctic, moose belong in the boreal forest or aspen/boreal transition zone, and in the Canadian Shield.

Answer 2

Moose