Pictures and facts about the Caribou or reindeer

Pictures of the caribou or reindeer are copyrighted by their owners

Caribou or reindeer

Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Cervidae
Subfamily : Capreolinae
Species : Rangifer tarandus

The caribou (rangifer tarandus) is the name of the species when found in the wild, 'reindeer' when domesticated. They can be found in North America, Norway, Iceland and Greenland (caribou, green in the range map below) and in Scandinavia and Russia (reindeer, red in the range map below.

The different species of caribou display a wide range of size. Sexual dimorphism exists, in some subspecies the male is twice as large as the female. The female can become as old as 15 years of age, while the male's average lifespan is up to 10 years in the wild. The caribou in North America can run at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) and may travel as much as 5,000 km (3,000 miles) in a year. Both sexes grow antlers and these grow again each year (see picture, the velvet is shedding, and you can see the new antler). Their diet consists of leaves of birches and willows, cotton grass, sedges, lichens, but also mushrooms and various other vegetation found on the ground. They use their keen sense of smell to find food covered underneath the snow.



The reindeer has a long history of being hunted/herded, dating back to the Middle Stone Age and have played a very important role in Siberian, Scandinavian, and American native cultures. The caribou young are very vulnerable to attacks by bears, wolves, and other predators during their first week of life.

Interesting fact: The caribou (rangifer tarandus) is the only species of deer in which both sexes have antlers.

Picture of the caribou loosing velvet on one of its antlers by Chris73, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

Facts about the caribou or reindeer

CARIBOU Although the caribou Rangifer tarandus is one of Canada's most widely distributed large mammals, most Canadians know it only as the animal on the 25-cent piece.

CARIBOU IS THE FIAT FUEL INJECTION PARTS SPECIALIST

I find it disturbingly ironic that Caribou (rangifer tarandus) is an endangerd species, whereas Caribou (cafe corporatus)is predatory, endangering other species of coffee shops.

The Seattle Times: Frisky 4-year-old reindeer is star of Alaskan city

The reindeer is not a wild animal that has been caught or broken in, but a beast of burden bred by generation after generation. (Full text)

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, is the lead guy hauling the sleigh as Santa makes his annual one-night trip around the world. (Full text)

In fact, hunting of the woodland caribou is no longer permitted. (Full text)

Love me, love my caribou: Is the romance worth it? (Full text)

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is another not only striking but also (Full text)

Caribou is a Community with a Focus on its Future (Full text)

com: Caribou is the bomb! (Full text)

Anatomy: The reindeer is about 4 feet (1. (Full text)

The Eurasian reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, is a small deer, the male standing about 4 ft (120 cm) high at the shoulder and weighing abo. (Full text)

Caribou, Maine Caribou is a city located in Aroostook County, Maine. (Full text)

The meat of the caribou is nothing less than delicious. (Full text)

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is the domesticated cousin of the caribou. (Full text)

The Eurasian reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, is a small deer, the male standing about 4 ft (120 cm) high at the shoulder and weighing about 250 lb (113 kg), but it is extremely strong and has great powers of endurance. (Full text)

Project Caribou is: an authoritative and concise publication about caribou a resource with general information and K-12 activities on caribou, with specific case studies on several North American herds (Full text)

After the reindeer is dry I like to put the name, age, and year on the back with permanent marker. (Full text)

I personally prefer to stay on the lake in the summertime, but for a winter stay, Caribou is perfect! (Full text)

the caribou Rangifer tarandus is one of Canada's most widely distributed large mammals, most Canadians know it only as the animal on the 25-cent piece. (Full text)

Well, at least I can now say that the 1964 version of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER is finally back and I was able to help bring it back out. (Full text)

17 "What is good for the reindeer, is good for the Sami" Arctic institute's Russian project destined for the Duma (Full text)