Alaskan Arctic Caribou
If you live in Alaska it may not be uncommon for you to see real reindeer wander through your yard. You may also live near a farm that breeds these animals for meat. Whereas places in the United States most of the time you only see black tail deer, white tail deer, or around the stuffed plush reindeer used as decorations.
Typically, reindeers in Alaska, as well as other states in North America, are domesticated caribous and they are normally bred for meat production. Even though there are at least seven subspecies of this type of animal, the state of Alaska only has one which is categorized in the Barren ground subspecies. Domesticated reindeers typically have much shorter legs with thicker bodies due to the type of breeding methods used by farmers. This is usually because farmers are more focused on producing the best meats from this animal. On the other hand, wild reindeers or caribous have longer legs and slightly slimmer bodies which is an important characteristic that makes their migration efficient.
The Alaskan wilderness has an estimated number of thirty different herds with approximately a million caribous spread all throughout the area. Several of these wild animals are often found in tundra regions and some take up residence in rugged areas or heavily forested areas. For the most part, reindeers migrate in search of food, other herds, and they are also capable of traveling for long distances just for them to be able to find a new habitat where there is a good feeding ground. During the summer months, reindeers get their nutrition from a variety of wild plants and grasses being herbivores and in winter, these caribou feed on a variety of shrubs and lichen which serve as their source of sustenance until it warms up and Spring arrives again.
Caribous or reindeers are also considered as the most largely numbered migratory land animals as migrating herds can reach up to tens of thousands of reindeers. In a single day, these animals can travel up to fifty miles in search of better feeding grounds. Each year, these caribou move around, particularly during summer and winter. One reason why they are looking for new places, is for females to prepare for the birth of new calves during the spring. Different caribou herds may separate during summer months on calving grounds and they only join up together when they are ready to migrate to their winter grounds. Once they reach the winter grounds, they disperse around and rejoin the herd and head for a new calving ground.
As you can see these are amazing animals and even though they don’t really fly they are a very important part of the environment.