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Caribou

Antlers All Around?: Known in Europe and Asia as reindeer, the caribou is the only species of deer in which both sexes bear antlers. Males lose them in the spring; females lose them when they give birth in June.

The Four Seasons: Huge herds spend the winter feeding in boreal forests. In the spring, they migrate hundreds of miles north to calving grounds in the tundra. They wander all summer, feeding on leaves of small shrubs, aromatic plants, grasses, sedges, fungi and lichens; in the fall, they breed.

Not All Alike: Eight subspecies are recognized, each varying in size, shape and color. In Europe, they have been domesticated and are used to pull sleighs since their broad hooves are suited for walking in deep snow.

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FACTS: More Caribou Information

DID YOU KNOW?

Smelling Through Snow: Caribou can smell lichen beneath snow, an important adaptation that helps it endure the winter.

Alaskan Stronghold: There are more caribou in Alaska than there are people; in fact, at over one million head, there are nearly twice as many.