RANGE AND HABITAT: Woodland caribou once inhabited Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan and Minnesota. But since the 1800's their populations have declined throughout their range. Today the caribou is principally found in the boreal forest of Canada from New Foundland to the Mackenzie delta of Yukon Territory. In addition there are populations in western Montana, Idaho and Washington state. The boreal forest is a mixture of balsam fir, spruce and birch, as well as an understory of shrubs, herbs and lichen.

DESCRIPTION: As members of the cervids, or deer family, caribou rank as medium size. Males weigh from 159-250 kg (350-550 lbs), while females weigh 91-159 kg (200-350 lbs). Shoulder height is about 1.27 m (50 in). They are unique among the cervids in that both males and females have antlers. The male's antlers are larger and more impressive than the female's. Their coat ranges from brown to grey, with white hairs found on the mane, eye ring, rump patch, underside of tail, inside of ears, feet, nose and an area of the flanks. The summer coat is short and soft. The winter coat is much thicker and longer, consisting of longer, hollow guard hairs and dense curly underfur.

HABITS AND ADAPTATIONS: Woodland caribou are gregarious, but tend to gather in small family size bands, unlike the barren-ground caribou that herd in the thousands. Woodland caribou are a relatively sedentary race that tend to migrate shorter distances than barren-ground caribou. They are strong swimmers and adept climbers. Communication within the herd is visual, auditory and olfactory. Caribou have a keen sense of smell, good hearing, but relatively poor eyesight.

Crescentic hooves are an adaptation that helps the caribou move across hard snow packed surface in winter weather. Foot pads (inside hooves) shrink and harden while the hoof edges get longer, hair lengthens between toes, covering the pads. This results in cold resistant, shed proof hoof.

DIET: The primary food is lichen. It will supplement this with fungi, mosses, herbs, sedges, grasses, shrubs and young tree growth.

BREEDING AND MATURATION: The rut or mating season is October and November. Gestation period is about 230 days. Fawns are brown in color and unspotted, weighing about 4.5-6.8 kg (10-15 pounds) at birth. They grow quickly the first 5 months, developing small antlers called "spikes", which appear at about 3 months. Full maturity for both sexes is 4 to 5 years. Bucks usually do not breed until 2 to 3 years old. Longevity is about 12 to 15 years.

MISCELLANEOUS: Woodland caribou were once found in northern Minnesota, but their populations declined during the 1800's due to timbering of mature forests and overhunting by humans. An additional factor in their extirpation was the northward extension of the white-tailed deer range. This species carries a parasitic "brain" worm that causes death in moose and caribou.

Page Last Modified December 30, 1999

Page design by Everett & Daughter Copyright 1999