Caribou by Ben
Appearance: Caribou are 4 to 5 feet at the shoulder . The weight of
a Caribou is 240 pounds to 700 pounds. A caribou is brown in the
summer and grey in the winter for camouflage. The Caribou also
have small ears. Caribou hoofs are divided into two toes. Caribou
have dewclaws like dogs. Caribou dewclaws can get through
permafrost.
Habitat: Caribou live in northern Europe, Asia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Northern forests, Tundra. Tundra is a treeless plain. Caribou have to migrate to many different tundras in a lifetime.
Food: Caribou eat grass and tundra plants such as lichen. Lichen is two parts: algae and fungus, the algae and fungus are interdependent. Caribou eat lichen because it is very healthy. Did you know that an adult Caribou can eat 12 pounds a day?
Enemies: A Caribou's enemies are tundra wolves but a Caribou can outrun a wolf. Caribou's enemies are also wolverines, lynxes, and bears, because they prey on newborn Caribou because they can't fight.
Life Cycle: Caribou live 15 years in the wild. Caribou usually have one calf a year. The gestation (how long it takes for a baby to develop) is two hundred and forty days. Caribou have calves near spring. If females are good in health they will have a calf at 16 months (it is usually 28 months). After calving a group of Caribou protect the newborn calves.
Other Facts: Caribou can swim because they have to when they migrate. Caribou are domestic reindeer. Lapplanders herd Caribou for live stock! Caribou usually migrate several hundred kilometers! There can be several thousand Caribou in one herd! Caribou use their special antler called a shovel to dig up food covered in snow! Did you know that Caribou have Eskimo names? They are pagnnig (adult bull), junalak (adult female), and norraq (calf). Caribou are used in many different ways such as carved caribou hoof pendant, painting tools (it is made out of bone), painted caribou skin coat, caribou hide mukluk, food, clothing, and tools too! There are also legends and culture about caribou!