Caucasian moose
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The Caucasian moose, also known as the Caucasian elk[1][2] (Alces alces caucasicus) is an extinct subspecies of moose found in the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, in modern-day European Russia, Armenia,[2] Azerbaijan, Georgia, and eastern Turkey and north and west Iran.
Taxonomy
The subspecies was first described by Template:Interlanguage link in 1955.[3] In 1999, Danilkin questioned whether they were sufficiently distinct from A. a. alces to merit a separate subspecies.[4]
Extinction
The subspecies was quite common until the mid-19th century, when populations began to decrease due to overhunting. It became extinct sometime in the beginning of the 20th century.[2]
Predators
Among its likely predators were the Anatolian or Persian leopard (also called the Caucasus leopard), Asiatic black bear, Eurasian brown bear, steppe wolves, the Asiatic lion (now restricted to India's Gir Forest) and the now-extinct Caspian tiger;[2] The Eurasian lynx, golden eagles and the Asiatic cheetah—now restricted to Iran—all may have occasionally preyed on calves.