A caribou grazing in a spongy treeless area on the Kenai Peninsula

What better time of year to talk about the caribou, a kissing cousin of the reindeer? In looks and behavior the two members of the deer family are very much alike. The only differences are wild reindeer are found in Eurasia while caribou are found in North America, and reindeer have been domesticated.

A large caribou male at Denali National Park I had never seen either until I made my first trip to Alaska. Rudy, Allen, and I were scouting for NatureScene locations on the Kenai Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage, when we spotted a caribou grazing on the tundra along the side of the road some distance away.  

I had walked half the distance when the caribou looked up at me and started moving closer. The broad–antlered young female was big. I was a bit apprehensive and somewhat puzzled, so I cautiously stood my ground. I was amazed when she came within ten feet of me, appearing quite curious, herself, as I got several good close–up pictures.

Although the rack of a male would have been impressively larger, caribou are the only species of deer in which both sexes have broad antlers. They also have broad hooves which serve to support them in deep snow and soft, spongy tundra. A large bull may weigh up to 700 pounds and stand five feet high at the shoulder. A cow is much smaller.

There are two main types of caribou: the barren ground caribou found from western Alaska to western Greenland and the woodland caribou found in forested regions of Newfoundland, Canada, northern Idaho, and northeastern Washington. Although the barren ground caribou are lighter in color than the woodland type, both range in shades of chocolate brown and have similar white necks and rumps.

Although NatureScene made two trips to Alaska over a month’s time, we found only a few solitary caribou, never any great herds. We were there in summer months when caribou are more scattered. 

At Denali National Park, a big bull came running down the road toward us, stopped, ran quickly away, stopped, turned and again headed in our direction. We discovered it was being pestered by the black flies that swarm around caribou at certain times in summer and make their lives quite miserable.

In the mammal world, the barren ground caribou are the champions of long distance travel. They migrate hundreds of miles between summer and winter ranges, with some herds making round trips of up to 1,600 miles.  Herds may number in the tens of thousands and can take days to pass over a given area.

As a herd migrates, its members will snatch a mouthful of favorite lichen here and there, never slowing the pace. This behavior is eco–protective, posing less of a threat to the fragile landscape. The lichen is aptly called reindeer moss. If you have a little on hand, you may want to scatter a bit on your rooftop.