The Caribou

Is that giant, hairy animal with antlers a caribou or a reindeer? Well, they are actually the same animal! These animals are most commonly called caribou in North America, and are called reindeer in Europe and Asia. They are also called reindeer at the North Pole! But caribou and reindeer are the same animal. They live in the northern, snowy tundras of North America, Europe and Asia. 

Caribou have hollow, flat hooves that help support them on the snow. These hooves also act as shovels for digging for food and paddles when swimming across rivers. Unlike other members of the deer family, both male and female caribou have antlers. Females shed their antlers right after having babies and then they grow back. Males use their antlers to compete with other males during the mating season. Caribou have two layers of fur to help them stay warm and dry: a dense woolly undercoat and a long-haired overcoat consisting of hollow, air-filled hair. These large animals can weigh up to 700 pounds and can run up to 50 miles per hour. Caribou are social animals and live in large herds. Babies join the herd right after birth.

Caribou are herbivores and eat grasses and plants in the summer and lichens, a type of fungus or algae, in the winter. Each summer, caribou migrate north. The females go first and the males and children come after. Once there, they feed on grasses all summer. When the snow begins to fall they head back south. This journey can be more than 1,600 miles long!

Because things easily blend into the white Arctic landscape, Caribou have very good eye site. Their eyes change from gold in the summer to blue in the winter to better improve their vision. Golden eagles and wolverines are known predators of caribou calves. Brown bears, grizzly bears, polar bears and gray wolves are also predators of adult and young caribou. 

Cool Fact: Caribou warn members of their herd of danger by releasing a special scent!