Species of the Month

Up on the rooftop click click click, down through the chimney it's the species of the month! Christmas is right around the corner, so it’s time for another festive species of the month. The caribou is the wild version of the domesticated reindeer. Santa’s herd is safe, but their wild counterparts face habitat loss and in some areas have been hunted to extinction.

Woodland caribou

Scientific name: Rangifer tarandus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Range: Circumpolar- Canada, northwestern US, Greenland, northern Europe

Habitat: Arctic tundra and boreal forest

Lifespan: 4.5 years on average

Diet: Leaves, bark, lichen, mushrooms

Predators: Bears and wolves

Conservation Status: Endangered (US), IUCN Species of Least Concern

Lighter colored tundra caribou (NPS)

Other Information: Caribou are the only deer species featuring antlered females. Not all females grow antlers, however. Male antlers are larger and more intricate. Males use theirs in sparring during the rut. Like other deer species, mating is controlled by a dominant bull who fends of younger challengers. The fights leave males injured and/or exhausted and vulnerable to predators. Domesticated reindeer have been used as beasts of burden and for food for thousands of years. There are several subspecies of caribou. Northern caribou are nearly white and smaller than their southern counterparts. In North America, the woodland caribou is a dark brown and critically endangered. Just a handful lived in the wild in Washington and Idaho. Recently, they were all captured and sent to a secure area in British Columbia to protect them from predators in the hopes that their population will increase. Caribou hooves are very large and concave, serving as snowshoes.

Caribou hoof (Where To Next)

The size and shape also aid in swimming. Caribou migrate long distances and must cross many rivers. When walking, they make a loud clicking sound, caused by a foot tendon rubbing on bone.

Information once again comes from the good people at Michigan’s AnimalDiversity Web.

Domestic reindeer (The Nature Conservancy)