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Caribou
Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scene:
Headwaters of Beaver Creek, near the Yukon Alaska borderSponsor:
The 1957 Hugh H. Logan Arctic Expedition and Mr. Robert Elder (Young Calf)Background artist:
Hanson Duvall Puthuff (1875-1972)Also present:
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)Caribou is another name for reindeer but the North American examples are lighter and more slender legged than the European domesticated form.
Caribou and reindeer are the only members of the deer family in which both males and females have antlers.
Biological Information
Range:
Northern sub-polar regions
Habitat:
Treeless arctic tundra, northern evergreen forests and associated bog land
Status:
Endangered in eastern North America but common over the rest of its range
Diet:
Leaves of shrubs and grass-like plants in the summer; lichens in the winter
Further information about this species may be found on the Animal Diversity Web page for caribou.