Caribou vs. Reindeer

Graphic illustration of a caribou.

NPS/Matt Twombly

Caribou and Reindeer are the same species and share the same scientific name, Rangifer tarandus. Caribou are what the species is called in North America and reindeer are what they are called in Eurasia. All caribou are wild animals, whereas reindeer can be wild, semi-domesticated, or domesticated. Though there are generalized similarities between caribou and reindeer, their appearance can vary from individual to individual, as it is influenced by diet, environment, and, in the case of reindeer, selective breeding.

Selective Breeding

The management and selective breeding of reindeer by herders results in tame animals. When animals are consistently bred, a specific breed of reindeer results, which over hundreds of years changes anatomical differences (leg length, antler size, hair color, lung capacity, parasite burden etc.). Nutrition, climate, and environment magnify the effects.

NPS Photo/Ken Conger

Caribou

Caribou are native to Alaska. The most common subspecies is the barren-ground Rangifer tarandus granti. The Western Arctic Caribou herd is among the largest in North America. Their range encompasses much of the Seward Peninsula, including Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and north past the Utukok River uplands, where the herd calves. This highly migratory animal has shaped the area’s ecology, and subsistence and cultural practices for the communities in its range.

Subspecies

A subspecies is a group within a species that has developed unique characteristics typically due to geographic isolation. 

Caribou calf and wild herd.

NPS/Matt Twombly

Characteristics:

• Caribou give birth to reddish-brown calves in late May or early June
• Caribou are wild and skittish around humans.
• Caribou are light brown and can produce white fur around their neck and underbelly.
• Conduct some of the longest terrestrial migrations in the world.

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Graphic illustration of a reindeer.

NPS/Matt Twombly

Reindeer

Reindeer were introduced to western Alaska from Siberia by Reverend Doctor Sheldon Jackson in 1892. He thought he needed to provide a stable food source for Alaska Native populations, plus it was an avenue into private enterprise. Over about 60 years, Inupiat communities were trained to herd reindeer through apprenticeships. The population peaked in the 1930s, but since then the practice of reindeer herding has since dramatically declined. Today, all reindeer herds on the Seward Peninsula are managed by a handful of herders and the Reindeer Herders Association.

The free-ranging reindeer herds graze in the coastal areas of the peninsula or throughout the tundra near villages. You might encounter reindeer herds grazing along the Teller and Kougarok Road. These free-ranging reindeer are prone to run off with wild caribou herds if they come into contact.

Reindeer calf and corral.

NPS/Matt Twombly

Characteristics:

• Reindeer give birth to dark chocolate brown calves as early as mid-April
• Reindeer, in Alaska, are domesticated and are considered livestock and private property.
• Reindeer come in a variety of colors from tawny, beige, white, brown, dark brown, and variations of all the above with spots.
• Domestic reindeer are bred to be less migratory