Reindeer (Caribou) Facts: Habitat, Diet and Range

The reindeer, called caribou in North America, is a medium-sized deer superbly adapted to life in the Arctic. Its thick coat of hollow hairs, broad hooves and ability to digest lichens let it survive where few other large mammals can. Wild and domesticated reindeer are the same species.

Interesting facts

It is the only deer species in which both males and most females grow antlers.
Some caribou herds migrate more than 1,000 km between winter ranges and calving grounds, among the longest land migrations on Earth.
A tendon in the foot makes a clicking sound as reindeer walk, which may help herds stay together.
Reindeer can see ultraviolet light, which makes lichens and predators stand out against snow.
In Eurasia, reindeer have been herded by peoples such as the Sámi and Nenets for centuries.
The global population has fallen by about 40 percent in roughly three generations.

Behaviour

Reindeer live in herds that can number from a few animals to hundreds of thousands during migration. Their large, concave hooves act as snowshoes in winter and paddles when swimming, and help them dig through snow to reach lichens. Males fight with their antlers during the autumn rut.

Breeding and young

After a gestation of about seven and a half months, females give birth to a single calf, often on traditional calving grounds. Calves can stand within an hour and follow their mothers within a day.

Threats and conservation

Climate change (including icing events that seal lichens under ice), industrial development, roads and pipelines that disturb migrations, hunting and predation. Many herds in Canada and Alaska have declined sharply.