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Range and Habitat: Woodland caribou once inhabited Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan and Minnesota. But since the
1800's their populations have declined throughout their range.
Today the caribou is principally found in the boreal forest of
Canada from New Foundland to the Mackenzie delta of Yukon Territory.
In addition there are populations in western Montana, Idaho and
Washington state. The boreal forest is a mixture of balsam fir,
spruce and birch, as well as an understory of shrubs, herbs and
lichen.
Habits and Adaptations: Woodland caribou are gregarious,
but tend to gather in small family size bands, unlike the barren-ground
caribou that herd in the thousands. Woodland caribou are a relatively
sedentary race that tend to migrate shorter distances than barren-ground
caribou. They are strong swimmers and adept climbers. Communication
within the herd is visual, auditory and olfactory. Caribou have
a keen sense of smell, good hearing, but relatively poor eyesight.
Crescentic hooves are an adaptation that helps the caribou move
across hard snow packed surface in winter weather. Foot pads (inside
hooves) shrink and harden while the hoof edges get longer, hair
lengthens between toes, covering the pads. This results in cold
resistant, shed proof hoof.
Diet: The primary food is lichen. It will supplement this
with fungi, mosses, herbs, sedges, grasses, shrubs and young tree
growth.
Breeding and Maturation: The rut or mating season is October
and November. Gestation period is about 230 days. Fawns are brown
in color and unspotted, weighing about 4.5-6.8 kg (10-15 pounds)
at birth. They grow quickly the first 5 months, developing small
antlers called "spikes", which appear at about 3 months.
Full maturity for both sexes is 4 to 5 years. Bucks usually do
not breed until 2 to 3 years old. Longevity is about 12 to 15
years.
Miscellaneous: Woodland caribou were once found in northern
Minnesota, but their populations declined during the 1800's due
to timbering of mature forests and overhunting by humans. An additional
factor in their extirpation was the northward extension of the
white-tailed deer range. This species carries a parasitic "brain"
worm that causes death in moose and caribou.
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