Caribou

Rangifer tarandus
Caribou (reindeer)	Caribou (renne)	Caribú (reno)

Caribou

The reindeer, known as caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer. The migratory woodland caribou of Northern Quebec and Labrador live in two wild herds, the Leaf herd with 628,000 individuals and the George River herd with 385,000 individuals. The caribou generally travel upwards of 2,000 km annually and live in an area of about 1,000,000 square kilometres. The weight of a female varies between 60 and 170 kg. In some subspecies of reindeer, the male is slightly larger, in others, the male can weigh up to 300 kg. Both sexes grow antlers, which (in the Scandinavian variety) for old males fall off in december, for young males in the early spring, and for females, summer. The antlers typically have two separate groups of points, a lower and upper. Domesticated reindeer are shorter-legged and heavier than their wild counterparts. Reindeer are ruminants, having a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat lichens in winter, especially reindeer moss. However, they also eat the leaves of willows and birches, as well as sedges and grasses. There is some evidence to suggest that on occasion they will also feed on lemmings, arctic char, and bird eggs. Reindeer herded by the Chukchis have been known to enthusiastically devour mushrooms in the spring.

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