Refers to the large deer species Alces alces. In British English, 'elk' is the same animal; in North American English, 'elk' usually refers to Cervus canadensis (wapiti), so 'moose' is the safer translation.
Moose inhabit the forests of North America and Northern Europe.
Those big moose antlers are really impressive, aren't they?
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Mixed kanji-katakana form; rarely used.
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
The name ヘラジカ (箆鹿) literally means 'spatula deer', referring to the broad, palmate antlers of the moose. The kanji 箆/篦 means 'spatula' or 'paddle', and 鹿 means 'deer'.