Caribou

Caribou

What do they look like?

Caribou are members of the deer family. They are smaller than Moose or Elk but bigger than white tailed or Mule deer.

Caribou are dark brown with a white neck and bands above their hooves. They are 4 or 5 feet tall and 6 or 8 feet long. A Caribou's summer coat is thin and brown and their winter coat is very thick. The Caribou's fur coat also protects their skin from water kind of like a bathing suit. A Caribou have fuzz on their antlers that protects the antlers from getting wet. A Caribou's lifespan in the wild is around 15 years. Caribou are endangered. They walk in a herd.

Caribou, Elk and deer have antlers. Goats,Sheep and Cattle have horns. Caribou are the only Deer where both male and female have antlers. Caribou's horns are made of bone that grows faster than any other type of bone.

What are they hunted for?

Caribou are hunted for their hooves which are used as tools. Caribou are also hunted for game and their fur for shelter.

What do they eat?

Caribou are Herbivores. There favorite food is called lichen a scaly plant that grows on rocks and trees. They can find it even when it is underneath snow. Caribou can eat 12 pounds ( of food ) each day. Caribou eat mosses, grasses, tree shoots, mushrooms and sedges. Caribou almost eat mainly all day long.

What are there predators?

Caribou have many predators some of them are Wolves, Bears, Golden eagles feed on calves. Wolverines also feed on a cow giving birth or a sick or dying Caribou.

When and how do they mate?

Male Caribou court females by attracting groups of them. Caribou mate in Mid October.

Where do they live?

Barren ground Caribou Travel in herds of 50 and over. They migrate in fall and spring to the North West Territories and Nunavut. Sometimes Barren ground Caribou go to Saskatchewan in spring and return to the Tundra in the Winter. Woodland Caribou travel in groups from 2 - 20 and live in Saskatchewan all year.

Where do they live?

Barren ground caribou spend winter in spruce and pine forests and spend summer in the Tundra and travel in herds of 50 and over. Woodland caribou live all year in or near swamps of spruce or pine trees and travel in groups from 2-20. All caribou live in either North America or Europe.

how many kinds of caribou are there?

There are many different kinds of caribou in the world some of them are the woodland caribou, Barren ground, Peary, Svalbard and Porcupine.

how do Caribou adapt?

Caribou adapt by migrating to another place in the winter and summer. They also adapt by having a coat warm coat of fur for the cold winter months and by having antlers to fight with when there in danger.