Goose-Geese, Moose-Meese???

While traveling to work on these cold Fall (it's not winter yet) mornings, it is dark or dusky and the wildlife is very active.  We have seen deer, moose, rabbits and muskrat.

The other morning we saw a family of 4-5 moose munching away on the prairie.  These moose were not very big so we assume it was a momma and some little ones.

The question was asked if a bunch of goose are called geese, why are a bunch of moose not called meese?  I don't make the rules so I don't know the answer but it did get me thinking about moose.

The distinctive feature that allows us to tell moose from deer, while driving down the road, would be the antlers-if it were male.    Since we did not see antlers we looked for the next most distinctive feature, the loose skin under the chin-called the dewlap.  This is pretty easy to see and lets us know we are not looking at cows or deer.

So next I wondered if this skin is called a dewlap on a moose, what is it called on a turkey?  The answer is the wattles.  It is called the same thing on a rooster.

These are the things that run through my mind as we drive down the highway.  I am so thankful for the internet where the answers are so readily available.