What do caribou eat in alaska

In summer the foot pads are large and the edges of the hooves worn flat so that the pad rests on the ground. In winter the hooves grow in length, the pads shrink and become tough, and the hair between the toes form tufts to cover the pads, protecting the foot from heat loss. They have other efficient ways of adapting to the cold.

In winter most of the caribou retreat to the forest for shelter. Their pelage is of 2 types, long, stiff, hollow gaurd hairs which trap warm air next to the skin and a wooly like underfur. In the fall, caribou are chocolate brown with a white neck and rump, and frequently a white flank stripe. Their coat lightens as the seasons pass.

There are two annual molts, the main one between July and early September. During this period, the long worn coat of both guard hairs and undercoat is shed in great patches.

Like most herd animals, caribou travel incessantly, moving among calving grounds, summer and winter range and breeding and fall range. Only during the mating season do all the various age-and-sex groups unite. Bulls typically weigh from to pounds with mature cows averaging around pounds.

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All caribou and reindeer in the world are one species and are presumed to be capable of inter-breeding and producing fertile offspring. The name caribou comes from the Canadian French common name, which is believed to derive from a Mi'kmaq word. Subspecies classification of caribou is complex and controversial.

Increasingly, caribou are classified according to three major ecotypes — migratory caribou, boreal caribou, mountain caribou — and one distinct subspecies present only in the high arctic — Peary caribou.

Beyond these various subspecies and ecotypes, caribou are further subdivided into multiple local populations or herds, usually named after geographical features found within their range. For example, migratory caribou that traditionally calve near Beverley Lake, Manitoba are called the Beverley herd, while mountain caribou found year round near the Red Wine Mountains, Labrador are called the Red Wine herd. Caribou have many distinct adaptations that make them perfectly suited for living in the North.

Their fur is dense, with a woolly undercoat and long, hollow guard hairs, and covers them from the tip of their nose to the underside of their feet, providing excellent insulation in air and buoyancy in water. Caribou have hooves that are especially broad and curved inward providing large surface areas to support their weight on snow or on thin ice, to make them very fast swimmers, and to help them dig through snow and ice to access food.

Caribou are included in the diet of almost all large predators where ever they occur and predation is the main cause of mortality in both adults and calves with most mortality happening early in life.

Caribou calves can walk and run with their mother a few hours after their birth, but are vulnerable to abandonment and starvation or drowning during the first few weeks.

Caribou have a lower reproductive potential than other members of the deer family because females do not start breeding until after their second or third year and have only one calf per year. Generally, caribou are not as long-lived as other deer, with male caribou living five to eight years and females slightly longer.

The reindeer, which is the Eurasian common name for caribou, was introduced from Siberia and Norway, as semi-domesticated populations in arctic and subarctic regions of North America. Home Animals Cultures Nutrients Feedback. Caribou General Migratory caribou Boreal caribou Mountain caribou Peary caribou Reindeer Caribou General Caribou are present in great numbers in Arctic, Subarctic and Boreal regions of North America, and are a central feature of many cultures that have long depended on the animal for survival.

Hunting season The most active caribou hunting period was late summer to fall, when weather conditions were favorable longer days and moderate temperatures , the animal was fatter and the hide was considered to be of best quality [5]. Hunting techniques Although hunting techniques differed from culture to culture, three major strategies were used: 1 communal driving into enclosures and bodies of water, 2 individual or small group stalking and 3 trapping [60, ].

Change in hunting practices Many caribou populations are reported to have been close to extinction at the turn of the twentieth century []. Preparation Given the size of the animal, caribou were a challenge to carry back to camp; this was particularly the case when several were killed at once or a hunter was alone. Uses other than food Caribou also provided shelter, bedding, tools and clothing [33, 85, ].

Changing movements can create problems for the Native people in Alaska and Canada who depend upon caribou for food. Caribou movements are probably triggered by changing weather conditions, such as the onset of cold weather or snowstorms. Once they decide to migrate, caribou can travel up to 50 miles a day.

Caribou apparently have a built in compass, like migratory birds, and can travel through areas that are unfamiliar to them to reach their calving grounds. To see herd ranges in greater detail, see the map of the 32 caribou herds in Alaska. These animated maps show the movement of caribou herds over the course of a year. The Porcupine herd ranges into western Canada. Note that the caribou bunch up or aggregate in June on the calving grounds.

Caribou herds are counted shortly after these aggregations begin to occur, typically in early July. Data were collected from about — The Network is an international group of scientists, managers and community people who have a common interest in caribou.

There are approximately , wild caribou in Alaska including some herds that are shared by Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory. Caribou are somewhat cyclic in number, and the timing of declines and increases, and the size to which herds grow is not very predictable. Although overhunting caused some herds to remain low in the past, today, varying weather patterns climate , population density, predation by wolves and grizzly bears, and disease outbreaks determine whether most herds increase or decrease.

Fast Facts Size Adult bulls average pounds kg. Distribution Caribou live in the arctic tundra, mountain tundra, and northern forests of North America, Russia, and Scandinavia. The world population is about 5 million. A herd uses a calving area that is separate from the calving areas of other herds, but different herds may mix together on winter ranges. Diet Herbivore Predators Bears and wolves Reproduction One calf Other names Domesticated and semi-domesticated caribou are called reindeer.

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Did You Know? General Description Caribou have large, concave hoofs that spread widely to support the animal in snow and soft tundra. Food Habits Like most herd animals, the caribou must keep moving to find adequate food. Vocalizations Regarding the audio sample under the "Listen" tab: The 'huffs' are a cow; in the background you can hear a calf calling as well.