Comments on: Fiordland Photo: Is It Mystery Moose? Or Common Deer?

By: Steleheart

Steleheart — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:36:45 +0000

I first thought Moose calf because the muzzle is too broad for deer, but considering possible distortion I have to go with deer – especially because of one other point; no dewlap. Even a yearling would have a dewlap and a more proportioned snout, but there is nothing there, not even a tuft?

By: nikki123nd

nikki123nd — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:48:59 +0000

I’m pretty sure this is a deer. The muzzle being up so close and the bad lighting combined creates an optical illusion that it has a large muzzle like a mooses’. Plus, the neck seems too thin.

By: Erik Knatterud

Erik Knatterud — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:21:05 +0000

Moose and deer are not that difficult to tell apart. This is NOT a moose yearling. If it were a moose it had to have far more pronounced eye sockets/ and ridges. You can clearly see the nostrils of the trail cam animal, while a moose’s nostrils is positioned differently and their shapes are different too. The shape of the snout is too sleek to be moose. Check out the fur down the neck, that is no moose pelt. It is a curious Fiordland deer, even if it is very close to the trail cam.

The moose hunter, plus red deer hunter.

By: skeptik

skeptik — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:00:18 +0000

If you take the photo at face value, I’d say it’s a moose. And I’ve seen a lot of them also up close.

But let’s not forget there’s camera equipment between us and the motive, including a strong flash, perhaps distorting its facial features.

By: dogu4

dogu4 — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:14:16 +0000

Like a number of commenters here, I too have lived in proximity to moose, and I can see where one would think that the snout on this specimen looks to be just a bit too fleshy to be that of the well recognized red-deer/wapiti which we know exist in abundance in that area. The other comments as to proportion of the neck or whatever details seem to present themselves also seem too vague to be determined with any accuracy especially since we don’t have a comparison by which we can judge or measure. I can attest to the fact that animals, even the size of moose can be very elusive, and having been down to NZ a few times I can also attest to the density and inpenetrability of fijordland’s alpine rainforest brush. Everthing adds up to an excellent reason to continue to search. I wouldn’t be surprised if a small population has lingered.

By: PhotoExpert

PhotoExpert — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:25:53 +0000

I’m 50/50 on this one. Those trail cams have a wide angle lens. The subject of the photo is so close to the lens of the camera, that you would get distortion of the subject. You would get a broadening of the snout, just like you would get a big nose if the the subject were a human. That would explain why the neck proportion does not match for a moose but the head does.

I am leaning towards a deer at this point, but seriously, it could go the other way. If I must choose, I would say this is a deer and the resulting photo looks the way it does, due to a photographic anomaly created by the wide angle lens of the trailcam.

By: JungleHusky

JungleHusky — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:29:10 +0000

I believe this is a very young moose. If you look at the second picture below the main photograph there is a distinct protusion of the snout that is a moose trademark. If the last record sightings of a moose were in the late fifties, here are three explanations:

1) One female survived and potentially mated with a neighbouring species creating a moose + ? hybrid OR

2) Moose populations in New Zealand remained elusive, avoiding all contact with humans OR

3) Someone imported a moose recently, to perhaps start a new population, and this is a photograph of one

By: Erik Knatterud

Erik Knatterud — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:07:20 +0000

That definitely is no young moose! The head shape and snout is all wrong. If they suspect moose is still surviving down there, why do they not attempt to call during rut, if they speak moose that is. Calling during early summer or spring should bring out yearlings which at that time are curious at anything new. I speak moose after a life of moose hunting, it is not that difficult. You can get good calls on tape.
The animals also leave pellets on the ground. No pellets around, no moose any more.

By: kgehrman

kgehrman — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:36:45 +0000

Sure looks like a moose calf at first glance..
But I think that the lighting, the angle and the perspective of the camera could have a young New Zealand Wapiti. Sure would help if you could just see the ears. I think the muzzle on a young moose would be more
“fleshy”. Yet the glare of the flash is obscuring some of the nasal features, so I can’t be sure.

Whatever ever it is, it certainly looks like delicious “Great Hair Moehau” food. But thats another story.

http://www.truetravel.cz/jpg/jpg13/1343/vladka-and-deer-new-zealand_640x480.jpg