Caribou: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Deer and Antelopes · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Caribou antlers double as snow shovels. Low tines help the flat brow tines dig craters in hard-packed snow to uncover food.
2. Unlike any other deer, both male and female caribou can grow antlers each year.
3. Some caribou herds migrate farther than any other land mammal: up to 5,000 km a year. Caribou can run at up to 80 km/h.
4. Many caribou make a clicking sound with their knees as they walk. You can sometimes hear it several hundred metres away.
5. Just one day after birth, a caribou calf can already run faster than an Olympic sprinter.

The quiz

1. How do caribou antlers help in winter?

• They break ice so it can drink
• They dig craters in hard snow to reach food (correct)
• They keep its head warm
• They scare off wolves

Antlers dig craters in hard-packed snow to uncover food.

2. Which caribou can grow antlers each year?

• Only males
• Only old females
• Only calves
• Both males and females (correct)

Unlike any other deer, both males and females can grow antlers.

3. How far can some caribou herds travel in a year?

• Up to 5,000 km (correct)
• Up to 50 km
• Up to 500,000 km
• Up to 5 km

Some herds travel up to 5,000 km a year, the longest migration of any land mammal.

4. What is special about caribou knees?

• They glow in the dark
• They bend backward
• They click as the animal walks (correct)
• They squeak when it rests

Caribou knees click as they walk.

5. How old are caribou calves when they can already outrun an Olympic sprinter?

• 1 week old
• 1 day old (correct)
• 1 month old
• 1 year old

A calf can outrun an Olympic sprinter when it is just one day old.

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