![]() As the Arctic warms, they become more susceptible to diseases and parasites, which could quickly spread through a herd.BERKELEY, Calif., Ma(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Caribou Biosciences, Inc. ( To save caribou, Indigenous people confront difficult choices.)Ĭlimate change is also a threat. ![]() Human activities like logging has made caribou more susceptible to predation from wolves and other animals who now have free access to caribou habitats. Because they're migratory, changes in the landscape, such as the appearance of new fences or other human development on their migration routes, can be especially disruptive. ConservationĬaribou are classified as vulnerable to extinction, one step above endangered. Its sharp edges give the animal good purchase on rocks or ice.Ĭaribou are the only deer in which male and females both have antlers-though only some females have them. Male reindeer, however, shed their antlers every November and grow them back in February-suggesting that Santa’s reindeer would have been female. The hoof's underside is hollowed out like a scoop and used for digging through the snow in search of food. They are big enough to support the animal's bulk on snow and to paddle it efficiently through the water. Hooves and antlersĬaribou, as part of the deer family, have large hooves that are useful tools for life in the harsh northlands. Cows have one calf each year, which can stand after only a few minutes and move on with its mother by the next day. The herds spend the winter in more sheltered climes and survive by feeding on lichens.Ĭaribou are taller and lankier than reindeer, likely because they evolved to make these long migrations. Herds of female caribou, called cows, leave several weeks before the males, which follow with yearling calves from the previous birthing season. When the first snows fall each year, the caribou turn back south. ( These reindeer migrate 800 miles a year. An adult caribou can eat 12 pounds of food each day. They'll spend the summer months feeding on the abundant grasses and plants of the tundra. Some herds may travel up to 800 miles to get to their summer grazing grounds. As summer approaches, they head north along well-trod annual routes. MigrationĬaribou make one of the world's great large-animal migrations. ![]() That's also likely why reindeer evolved to be stockier than caribou. Indigenous groups, including the Sami in northern Scandinavia and the Nenet in Russia's Arctic, herd reindeer and use them for their meat. Caribou, on the other hand, live in the wild and take on long annual migrations. Some people use the term "reindeer" to refer to domesticated work animals, such as those pulling Santa's sleigh, but there are both wild and domestic herds of reindeer. ( What color are reindeer eyes? Depends on the season.) Alaska does have some reindeer, however, imported from Siberia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ![]() Caribou are native to North America, whereas reindeer are native to northern Europe and Asia. There are differences between caribou and reindeer though. Large hoofed animals belonging to the deer family, caribou and reindeer are actually the same species- Rangifer tarandus. ![]()
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