Caribou

Constant movement is the only way caribou can get rid of bothersome insects. They walk along the same places, creating well-visible trails.
It makes some of the longest migrations among terrestrial mammals — up to several thousand kilometres.
At one week old, a caribou calf is already able not only to run, but also to swim across a wide river.
Caribou can dig food from under snow up to 120 cm deep, but at 70 cm depth they already lose too much energy and lose weight.
The caribou feeds on lichens for much of the year, which helps it live in harsh conditions where other ungulates cannot survive.
The caribou is the only deer in which females also have antlers.
The maximum lifespan of domestic caribou reaches 28 years, while that of wild caribou is shorter.
Caribou drink snow and sea water to quench their thirst for nine months of the year. They eat snow mixed with urine and drink seawater.
Caribou eat shed and other deer antlers to compensate for a lack of lichen in their bodies, especially young caribou often chew the antlers of adults.
Harem groups of caribou usually include no more than 15 females, one strong male, and sometimes 2–3 young or weak males.
The animals can see in ultraviolet light, which helps them find lichens in winter.

Age

Caribou typically live for 12 to 18 years, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 21 years and 10 months, and a theoretical lifespan ranging from 10 years and 11 months to 21 years and 10 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year and 6 months and 4 years of age; the young are born with their eyes open and begin walking immediately. During the embryonic stage, the developing fetus receives nourishment from the mother and does not eat independently. The calf stage, also known as a calf, lasts from 1 day to 6 months, during which the young drinks its mother's milk and learns to find food. Following this, the species enters the adult stage, lasting from 2 to 20 years, during which it can reproduce and lives independently.

Phenotype

The species has soft, thick brown fur that protects young caribou from the cold, and their wide hooves aid in preventing them from sinking into snow. Adult caribous possess a dense two-layered coat; it is light and very warm in winter, and shorter and darker in summer, protecting them from frost and insects. The adults have large, branched antlers which are used for fighting other males and defense, and these antlers are shed annually and regrown. They also have wide and strong hooves that allow them to walk on deep snow, dig for lichens, and swim effectively. Furthermore, the species has a large nose lined with thick fur, which warms the cold air before it reaches the lungs.

Physiology

Caribou have a body length ranging from 1.6 to 2.2 meters and a mass from 126.41 to 140.52 kilograms; the species exhibits different developmental stages with varying measurements. During the embryo stage, the body mass ranges from 0 to 6 grams and the body length from 1 millimeter to 40 centimeters. The newborn stage shows a body mass from 6 to 50 kilograms and a body length from 80 centimeters to 1.2 meters. Adult caribous have a body mass from 60 to 120 kilograms and a body length from 1.6 to 2.1 meters.

Habitat

Caribou or reindeer inhabits landscapes including terrestrial areas, high mountains and tundra, forested land, and alpine tundra; the species occupies taiga with cold winters and many coniferous trees such as spruce and pine, temperate coniferous forests with many coniferous trees and snow in winter, flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, mountain meadows that are high in the mountains and cold with much grass and shrubs, and tundra characterized by very cold temperatures, a short summer, almost no trees, and abundant moss. The climate varies, being cold and nearly dry for most of the year, with cool summers averaging 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, consistently very wet with frequent rain and high humidity, polar tundra with very cold temperatures and a short summer, and extremely cold conditions with much snow and ice; caribous are found at elevations up to 2 kilometers.

Shelter

Caribou inhabit the tundra and open spaces, lacking permanent or long-term shelter. Females and males use grasses and mosses for protection from wind, rest, and protection from cold. The species does not have a permanent shelter, preferring open areas of terrain.

Geography

Caribou inhabit the Nearctic and Palearctic realms, occurring in ecosystems of Scandinavian mountain birch forests and meadows, as well as in the Scandianavian-Russian taiga.

Feeding

Caribou is a species that feeds mainly on lichens, which it finds under the snow using its hooves, and in summer – grass, leaves of shrubs, moss and mushrooms; males nibble grass, using a strategy of searching for and obtaining food, grazing. The daily food requirement of the species ranges from 3 kg to 9 kg, and offspring feed on milk. Wolverines, bears, and wolves hunt caribou.

Reproduction

Caribou north america reproduce through live birth, with young born alive in the spring and rapidly able to stand. The female’s gestation period lasts 7 months and 3 weeks, and she carries one calf for approximately seven and a half months. A litter consists of 1–2 young, and the interval between reproduction is 1 year. The species inhabits and develops on land, outside of bodies of water, with nests built on or near the ground’s surface. Within these terrestrial nests, eggs or offspring develop. Only the mother displays parental care for the young, which are born on land. Males fight for females in autumn, and individuals reach maturity from 2 to 4 years of age. Reproduction always occurs through fertilization without generation changes, a process known as homogamy.