Caribou
Common Name:
Caribou
Scientific Name:
Rangifer tarandus
IUCN Status:
Vulnerable
Risks: Risks to caribous include human development, habitat loss and global warming.
Diet: During the summer, they eat grasses, leaves, mushrooms and flowering plants. In winter, their diet consists of lichen, small shrubs and sedges.
Height: Females 162 to 205 cm (64 to 81in); Males 180 to 214 cm (71 to 84 in)
Weight: Females weigh 80 to 120 kg (180 to 260 lbs) and males weigh 160 to 180 kg (350-400 lbs)
Fun Facts
- Caribou and reindeer are the same species, Rangifer tarandus.
- Caribou and reindeer are perfectly adapted to life in cold climates. Their warm coat has two layers: A dense undercoat of ultra-fine fur and an overcoat of longer, hollow guard hairs.
- Their feet make a “clicking” sound every time they take a step. This noise helps them stay together when visibility in a blizzard or thick fog is poor.
- Caribou use their antlers to find food under the snow and defend themselves.
- Males shed their antlers in November after the breeding season while females shed in May, shortly before calving.
- Antlers are composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, nerves, blood vessels and skin. The skin, or velvet, sheds once the antlers are done growing.
- Caribou have large, sharp hooves allow them to walk softly on top of the snow (like snowshoes!) and hair between their toes help them gain traction on the ice.
- Caribou and reindeer are the only deer species in which both males and females have antlers.
- An adult reindeer eats an average of 4 to 8 kilograms of vegetation a day.
Each year, the Zoo celebrates World Caribou Day on June 6.
Conservation Initiatives
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is proud to support the Caribou Conservation Breeding Foundation of Canada. Learn more at ccbf.ca.