Winter can be tough for animals. With less sunlight, there are fewer hours to find food. It’s also harder to stay warm in the cold. How do creatures survive? Animals use several strategies. Many migrate to warmer areas. None travels farther on land than the caribou!
The caribou is a type of deer. It lives in Canada and Alaska. It also lives in northern Europe. People there call caribou “reindeer.” But it’s the same animal! Whatever the name, the creature roams the north of our world! (It’s the only deer in Greenland, where it’s called tuttu.)
There is only one species of caribou. However, the animal may look — and act — different. Some are smaller. Others are bigger. Smaller herds don’t travel far. Large herds may migrate huge distances. Scientists measured one herd that traveled 850 miles (1,350 km) in a year. That means the caribou makes the longest migration of any land animal!
Caribou migrate south when the temperatures begin to drop. That helps them find food during the winter. As an , caribou eat plants in the summer. During the winter, they mostly eat lichens — a mosslike growth — under the snow. Then the caribou returns in the spring.
A caribou herd may migrate to escape the cold and find food. But there is another reason why caribou might migrate. It’s to raise their babies! Caribou usually have their young during the summer. Bears, wolves, and eagles hunt caribou. The caribou must protect their babies from these ! The migration helps keep them safe.
Sadly, the caribou is in danger. Their population is dropping. One reason is because the animals are losing their . Fences and roads may block their migration . And a warmer world adds problems for the caribou. Those include more mosquitoes.
Leaders are working to protect the caribou. They want to make sure the amazing animal can continue its mighty migration.
Update January 22, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Brittney C. Jones
