Reindeer

The reindeer, also known as the caribou in North America, is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of range of caribou. There are two varieties, or ecotypes: tundra reindeer and forest (or woodland) reindeer. Tundra reindeer migrate between tundra and forest in huge herds numbering up to half a million in an annual cycle covering as much as 5,000 km (3,000 miles). Forest reindeer are much less numerous. In summer (May-September), caribou eat the leaves of willows, sedges, flowering tundra plants, and mushrooms. They switch to lichens (reindeer moss), dried sedges (grasslike plants), and small shrubs (like blueberry) in September.

Trophic level: Herbivorous

Height: 2.8 – 4.9 ft. (Adult, At Shoulder)

Length: 5.9 – 7 ft. (Male, Adult), 5.3 – 6.7 ft. (Female, Adult)

Gestation period: 222 days

Mass: 350 – 400 lbs (Male, Adult), 180 – 260 lbs (Female, Adult)

Scientific name: Rangifer tarandus