Toponymie | Canton de Potton | Place Names

As was the case for Chemin du Hibou in 2015, it is the review of roads within the Owl's Head sector which resulted in the addition of a road name honouring the moose, occasionally to be found in Potton's beautiful woodlands.  We're hardly unique in this respect for Chemin de l'Orignal is used 237 times as a road name throughout Quebec, presumably for the prevalence of this animal across our province.  The moose is the largest herbivorous in the deer family.  Moose are the only in the deer family capable of browsing underwater, and are very selective in their diet.  Moose are distinguished by the broad, flat antlers of the male, which are shed annually in most cases.  Their colour is dark brown to black.  Their snout is broad and curved.  On average, an adult moose stands 1.4-2.1 m (4'6''-6'9'') at the shoulder.  They typically inhabit boreal forests of the Northern hemisphere and Eurasia.  Moose are solitary and do not form herds. ^[1]

Comme pour le hibou, c'est le remaniement en 2015 des chemins dans le secteur Owl's Head qui nous permet d'accueillir l'orignal parmi les animaux de nos forêts célébrés par notre toponymie. Cet odonyme est retenu 237 fois à  travers le Québec, tant il est présent presque partout. L'orignal est un cervidé herbivore de grande taille des régions nordiques de l'Amérique et de l'Eurasie, à  pelage brun noirâtre, caractérisé par un gros museau recourbé, un appendice pendant sous la gorge et de hautes épaules surmontées d'une bosse. ^[1]

[1] Chemin de l'Orignal – Potton. Commission de toponymie du Québec, site Web toponymie.gouv.qc.ca.