Interesting Facts about CARIBOU ***

Facts about Caribou

Facts About

Description of Caribou
The Caribou (often referred to as a Reindeer) is described as (Rangifer tarandus) a large artic Deer in the order of Artioldactyl and classified as a ruminant mammal of the family Cervidae. This animal is called a reindeer in Europe and a caribou in North America Ruminant animals are even-toed, cud-chewing, hoofed, usually horned mammals which have a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments. Examples of ruminant mammals are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes. Their hooves are large and sharp enabling them to travel across large distances and areas consisting of snow and ice.

Caribou are characterised by having deciduous antlers which are borne by both male and many females. Caribou are also characterised by making long migrations, travelling further North during the summer months for fresh grazing and returning to the more temperate climates of the South in the winter for shelter. The caribou family also includes the elk, moose, reindeer, and deer.

Species of Caribou
There are three different species of Caribou:

Barren-Ground Caribou,
Peary Caribou
Woodland Caribou

Facts about where Caribou live and what they eat!
Caribou are native to North America, Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland.
The cold climate, common habitat is the tundra (A treeless area between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, having a permanently frozen subsoil and supporting low-growing vegetation such as lichens, mosses, and stunted shrubs)
The diet of the caribou consist of grass, moss and lichen

Basic Facts about Caribou
The name of a male is referred to as a buck
The name of a female is referred to as a doe
The name or offspring, or a baby Caribou, is a fawn
The average size of a litter is one or two fawns
The collective name for a group of Caribou is a herd

Facts about the Size of Male Caribou
Fully grown they reach the height of 4-5 feet
An adult weighs over 500 pounds
Size of antlers - 3 ft

Cool and Fun Facts about the life, behavior and personality of Caribou

Females tend to stay in herds whereas males are more solitary
Males join the herds for the rutting season in September
Both male and and many female caribou grow antlers
Antlers are shed during the winter
Their broad hooves act like snowshoes!
Mating begins with the rutting season
The rut is the mating season of ruminant animals such as: