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Biography
Redirect|Caribou|other uses|caribou (disambiguation)|other uses of "reindeer"|reindeer (disambiguation)Taxobox| name = Reindeer| status = LC| status_ref =|status_system=iucn3.1| image = Caribou.jpg| regnum = Animal ia| phylum = Chordate|Chordata | classis = Mammal ia| ordo = Even-toed ungulate|Artiodactyla | familia = Deer|Cervidae | subfamilia = Capreolinae | genus = Rangifer | genus_authority = Charles Hamilton Smith|C.H. Smith , 1827| species = R. tarandus | binomial = Rangifer tarandus | binomial_authority = ( Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus , 1758)| range_map =Rangifer tarandus map.png| range_map_width = 275px| range_map_caption = Reindeer habitat divided into North America n and Eurasia n parts| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = many, see #Subspecies|text The reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ), also known as the caribou in North America , is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic , including both resident and Animal migration|migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous,IUCN2008|assessors=Henttonen, H. & Tikhonov, A.|year=2008|id=29742|title=Rangifer tarandus|downloaded=29 April 2010|version=2010.1 some of its subspecies are rare and one (or two, depending on taxonomy ) has already gone extinct .cite journal|author=Peter Gravlund, Morten Meldgaard, Svante Pääbo, and Peter Arctander|title= Polyphyletic Origin of the Small-Bodied, High-Arctic Subspecies of Tundra Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus )|volume= 10|doi=10.1006/mpev.1998.0525|year=1998|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|issue=2|pages=151–9|pmid=9878226cite journal|author=S. A. Byun, B. F. Koop, and T. E. Reimchen|title=Evolution of the Dawson caribou ( Rangifer tarandus dawsoni )|journal= Can. J. Zool.|volume= 80|issue=5|pages= 956–960|year=2002|doi=10.1139/z02-062
Reindeer vary considerably in color and size. Both sexes grow antler s, though they are typically larger in males. There are a few populations where females lack antlers completely.
Wild reindeer hunting and herding of semi- domesticated reindeer (for meat, hides, antlers, milk and transportation) are important to several Arctic and Subarctic people."In North America and Eurasia the species has long been an important resource—in many areas the most important resource—for peoples inhabiting the northern boreal forest and tundra regions. Known human dependence on caribou/wild reindeer has a long history, beginning in the Middle Pleistocene (Banfield 1961:170; Kurtén 1968:170) and continuing to the present....The caribou/wild reindeer is thus an animal that has been a major resource for humans throughout a tremendous geographic area and across a time span of tens of thousands of years." cite journal|author=Ernest S. Burch, Jr. |jstor=278435|title= The Caribou/Wild Reindeer as a Human Resource|journal=American Antiquity|volume=37|issue= 3 |year=1972|pages=339–368|doi=10.2307/278435 Even far outside its range, the reindeer is well known due to the myth, probably originating in early 19th century America, in which Santa Claus 's sleigh is pulled by Santa Claus's reindeer|flying reindeer , a popular element of Christmas . http://icr.arcticportal.org/index.php? option=com_content& view=article& id=142:flying-reindeer-and-santa-claus-& catid=2:feature-archive& Itemid=7 Flying Reindeer and Santa Claus: Fact, Fiction and Myth. Icr.arcticportal.org (2008-12-15). Retrieved on 2011-09-16. In Lapland (region)|Lapland , reindeer pull pulk s. http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/diehtu/siida/reindeer/Reindeer/reindeer_main.html The Sámi and their reindeer – University of Texas at Austin
Distribution and habitat
The reindeer is a widespread and numerous species in the northern Holarctic , being present in both tundra and taiga (boreal forest).Novak, R. M. (editor) (1999). ''Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. 2. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. pp. 1128–1130. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 Originally, the reindeer was found in Scandinavia , eastern Europe , Russia , Mongolia , and northern China north of the 50th parallel north|50th latitude . In North America, it was found in Canada , Alaska ( USA ), and the northern conterminous USA from Washington (U.S. state)|Washington to Maine . In the 19th century, it was apparently still present in southern Idaho . It also occurred naturally on Sakhalin , Greenland , and probably even in historical times in Ireland . During the late Pleistocene era, reindeer were found as far south as Nevada and Tennessee in North America and Spain in Europe.cite journal|author=Sommer R. S. and Nadachowski A.|title=Glacial refugia of mammals in Europe: evidence from fossil records|journal=Mammal Rev|year= 2006|volume =36|issue= 4|pages=251–265|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.2006.00093.x Today, wild reindeer have disappeared from many areas within this large historical range, especially from the southern parts, where it vanished almost everywhere. Large populations of wild reindeer are still found in Norway , Finland , Siberia , Greenland , Alaska , and Canada .
The George River (Quebec)|George River reindeer herd in the tundra of Quebec and Labrador in eastern Canada, once numbered world’s largest 8-900,000 animals, stands December 2011 at 74,000 – a drop of up to 92% because of :Category:Iron mines in Canada|Iron-ore mining , flooding for hydro-power and road-building. http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/7967 Christmas reindeer mystery as world’s largest herd plummets Survival 21 December
Domestication|Domesticated reindeer are mostly found in northern Fennoscandia and Russia, with a herd of approximately 150-170 reindeer living around the Cairngorms region in Scotland . The last remaining wild tundra reindeer in Europe are found in portions of southern Norway . http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns? id=dn4491 Europe's last wild reindeer herds in peril. Newscientist. 19 December 2003. Retrieved on 2011-09-16.
A few reindeer from Norway were introduced to the South Atlantic island of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|South Georgia in the beginning of the 20th century. The Reindeer in South Georgia|South Georgian reindeer total some 2600 animals in two distinct herds separated by glacier s. Although the flag and the coat of arms of the territory contain an image of a reindeer, they are under threat of eradication because of the environmental damage they cause. Around 4000 reindeer have been introduced into the French sub-Antarctic archipelago of Kerguelen Islands . East Iceland has a small herd of about 2500–3000 animals. http://www.internationaladventure.com/iceland/reindeer.html Reindeer Hunting in Iceland. International Adventure. Accessed 12 November 2010.
Caribou and reindeer numbers have fluctuated historically, but many herds are in decline across their range. http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8094000/8094036.stm BBC Earth News-Reindeer herds in global decline. BBC News (2009-06-11). Retrieved on 2011-09-16. This global decline is linked to climate change for northern, migratory caribou and reindeer herds and industrial disturbance of caribou habitat for sedentary, non-migratory herds.cite journal|author=Vors, L. S and Boyce, M. S.|title= Global declines of caribou and reindeer|journal=Global Change Biology|volume=15|issue=11|pages=2626–2633|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01974.x|year=2009
Morphology
Size
The females usually measure convert|162|-|205|cm|abbr=on in length and weigh convert|80|-|120|kg|abbr=on http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm? adfg=caribou.main Caribou at the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Adfg.state.ak.us. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. The males (or "bulls") are typically larger (although the extent to which varies in the different subspecies), measuring convert|180|-|214|cm|abbr=on in length and usually weighing convert|159|-|182|kg|abbr=on, though exceptionally large males have weighed as much as convert|318|kg|abbr=on. Shoulder height typically measure from convert|85|to|150|cm|abbr=on, and the tail is convert|14|to|20|cm|abbr=on long. The subspecies R. t. platyrhynchus from Svalbard island is very small compared to other subspecies (a phenomenon known as insular dwarfism ), with females having a length of approximately convert|150|cm|abbr=on, and a weight around convert|53|kg|abbr=on in the spring and convert|70|kg|abbr=on in the autumn.Aanes, R. (2007). http://npweb.npolar.no/english/arter/svalbardrein Svalbard reindeer. Norwegian Polar Institute . Males are approximately convert|160|cm|abbr=on long, and weigh around convert|65|kg|abbr=on in the spring and convert|90|kg|abbr=on in the autumn. The reindeer from Svalbard are also relatively short-legged and may have a shoulder height of as little as convert|80|cm|abbr=on, thereby following Allen's rule .
List of domesticated animals|Domesticated reindeer are shorter-legged and heavier than their wild counterparts.Citation needed|date=May 2012
Fur
The colour of the fur varies considerably, both individually, and depending on season and subspecies. Northern populations, which usually are relatively small, are whiter, while southern populations, which typically are relatively large, are darker. This can be seen well in North America, where the northernmost subspecies, the Peary caribou , is the whitest and smallest subspecies of the continent, while the southernmost subspecies, the Migratory Woodland Caribou|Woodland Caribou , is the darkest and largest.Reid, F. (2006). Mammals of North America. Peterson Field Guides. ISBN 978-0-395-93596-5 The Coat (animal)|coat has two layers of fur: a dense wool ly undercoat and longer-haired overcoat consisting of hollow, air-filled hairs.
Antlers
In most populations both sexes grow antler s and it is the only cervid species in which females grow them as well as males. http://www.answers.com/topic/new-world-deer-capriolinae-biological-family New World Deer (Capriolinae).Dead link|date=November 2010 Answers.com In the Scandinavian populations, old males' antlers fall off in December, young males' fall off in the early spring, and females' fall off in the summer. The antlers typically have two separate groups of points, a lower and upper. There is considerable subspecific variation in the size of the antlers (e.g., rather small and spindly in the northernmost subspecies), but, on average, the bull reindeer's antlers are the second largest of any extant deer, after the moose . In the largest races, the antlers of big males can range up to convert|100|cm|abbr=on in width and convert|135|cm|abbr=on in beam length. They have the largest antlers relative to body size among living deer species.
Nose and hooves
Reindeer have specialized noses featuring nasal nasal concha|turbinate bone s that dramatically increase the surface area within the nostril s. Incoming cold air is warmed by the animal's Thermoregulation|body heat before entering the lungs, and water is condensed from the expired air and captured before the deer's breath is exhaled, used to moisten dry incoming air and possibly absorbed into the blood through the mucous membrane s.
Reindeer hoof|hooves adapt to the season: in the summer, when the tundra is soft and wet, the footpads become sponge-like and provide extra traction. In the winter, the pads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hoof, which cuts into the ice and crusted snow to keep it from slipping. This also enables them to dig down (an activity known as "cratering")"In the winter, the fleshy pads on these toes grow longer and form a tough, hornlike rim. Caribou use these large, sharp-edged hooves to dig through the snow and uncover the lichens that sustain them in winter months. Biologists call this activity "cratering" because of the crater-like cavity the caribou’s hooves leave in the snow." http://www.taiga.net/projectcaribou/pdf/allaboutcaribou.PDF All About Caribou – Project Caribou http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/stories/avkas/ry0246-32.htm Image of reindeer cratering in snow. Arcticphoto.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. through the snow to their favorite food, a lichen known as Cladonia rangiferina|reindeer moss . The knees of many species of reindeer are adapted to produce a clicking sound as they walk.Banfield AWF: The caribou . In The Unbelievable Land . Smith I.N. (ed.) Ottawa: Queen's Press; 1966: 25–28, cited in cite journal|title=Knee-clicks and visual traits indicate fighting ability in eland antelopes: multiple messages and back-up signals|author=Jakob Bro-Jørgensen and Torben Dabelsteen|journal=BMC Biology|year= 2008|doi=10.1186/1741-7007-6-47|volume=6|pages=47|pmid=18986518|pmc=2596769
Vision
Reindeer are thought to be the only mammals that can see ultraviolet light. A study conducted by researchers from the University College London in 2011 revealed that reindeer can see light with wavelengths as low as 320& nbsp;nm, considerably below the human threshold of 400& nbsp;nm. It is thought that this ability helps them to survive in the Arctic, because many objects that blend into the landscape in normally visible light, such as urine and fur, produce sharp contrasts in ultraviolet. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1105/11052502 Reindeer use UV light to survive in the wild. Ucl.ac.uk (2011-05-26). Retrieved on 2011-09-16.
Ecology and behavior
Diet
Reindeer are ruminant s, having a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat lichen s in winter, especially Cladonia rangiferina|reindeer moss . However, they also eat the leaves of willow s and birch es, as well as Cyperaceae|sedge s and grass es. There is some evidence to suggest that on occasion, they will also feed on lemming s, http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp? id=91 Lemmings at Hinterland Who's Who arctic char , and egg (biology)|bird eggs .Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut by Ingrid Anand-Wheeler. ISBN 1-55325-035-4. Reindeer herded by the Chukchi people|Chukchis have been known to devour mushrooms enthusiastically in late summer. http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol32/siimets.pdf '& #39;The Sun, the Moon and Firmament in Chukchi Mythology and on the Relations of Celestial Bodies and Sacrifice'& #39; by Ülo Siimets at 140. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-09-16.
Reproduction
Mating occurs from late September to early November. Males battle for access to females. Two males will lock each other's antlers together and try to push each other away. The most dominant males can collect as many as 15-20 females to mate with. A male will stop eating during this time and lose much of its body reserves.Citation needed|date=May 2012 Calves may be born the following May or June. After 45 days, the calves are able to graze and forage but continue suckling until the following autumn and become independent from their mothers.Citation needed|date=May 2012
Migration
Some populations of the North American caribou Animal migration|migrate the furthest of any terrestrial mammal, travelling up to convert|5000|km|abbr=on a year, and covering convert|1000000|km2|abbr=on. http://www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/english/wildlife/maps-caribou/ Caribou Migration Monitoring by Satellite Telemetry. Mrnf.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. Other populations (e.g., in Europe) have a shorter migration, and some, for example the subspecies R. t. pearsoni and R. t. platyrhynchus (both restricted to islands), are residents that only make local movements.Citation needed|date=May 2012 Normally travelling about convert|19|-|55|km|abbr=on a day while migrating, the caribou can run at speeds of convert|60|-|80|km/h|abbr=on. During the spring migration smaller herds will group together to form larger herds of 50,000 to 500,000 animals but during autumn migrations, the groups become smaller, and the reindeer begin to mate. During the winter, reindeer travel to forested areas to forage under the snow. By spring, groups leave their winter grounds to go to the calving grounds. A reindeer can swim easily and quickly, normally at convert|6.5|km/h|abbr=on but if necessary at convert|10|km/h|abbr=on, and migrating herds will not hesitate to swim across a large lake or broad river.
Predators
A variety of predators prey heavily on reindeer. Golden Eagle s prey on calves and are the most prolific hunter on calving grounds.Walker, Matt. (2009-10-20) http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8314000/8314558.stm Eagles filmed hunting reindeer. BBC News. Retrieved on 2011-09-16.Wolverine will take newborn calves or birthing cows, as well as (less commonly) infirm adults. Brown bear s and polar bear s prey on reindeer of all ages, but like the wolverines they are most likely to attack weaker animals, such as calves and sick deer, since healthy adult reindeer can usually outpace a bear. The Gray Wolf is the most effective natural predator of adult reindeer and sometimes takes large numbers, especially during the winter. A single wolf pack can follow and live off of a particular reindeer herd for months.Citation needed|date=May 2012 As carrion, reindeer are fed on opportunistically by fox es, raven s and hawk s. Blood-sucking insects, such as Black fly|black flies and mosquito es, are a plague to reindeer during the summer and can cause enough stress to inhibit feeding and calving behaviors. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/caribou/Predators.html Caribou Foes: Natural Predators in the Wilderness. Learner.org. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. In one case, the entire body of a reindeer was found in the stomach of a Greenland shark , http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/sharkpics/ellis/greenlan.htm Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Postmodern.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. a species found in the far northern Atlantic , although this was quite possibly a case of scavenging considering the dissimilarity of habitats between the ungulate and the large, slow-moving fish. The population numbers of some of these predators is influenced by the migration of reindeer.Citation needed|date=May 2012
Subspecies
In 1961 the reindeer classification was divided into two major groups, the tundra reindeer (with six subspecies) and the woodland reindeer (with three subspecies).Citation needed|date=May 2010 Some of the tundra's subspecies are small-bodied, high-Arctic island forms. These island subspecies are probably not closely related, since the Svalbard reindeer seems to have evolved from large European reindeer, whereas Peary caribou and the extinct Arctic reindeer are closely related and probably evolved in high-Arctic North America.
The following is a partial list; four subspecies which are restricted to Russia and neighbouring regions have been left out. These are R. tarandus buskensis , R. tarandus pearsoni ( Novaya Zemlya reindeer), R. tarandus phylarchus ( Kamchatka / Sea of Okhotsk|Okhotsk reindeer) and R. tarandus sibiricus ( Siberia n Tundra reindeer).MSW3 Grubb|id=14200328
Tundra reindeer
† Arctic reindeer ( R. tarandus eogroenlandicus ), an Extinction|extinct subspecies found until 1900 in eastern Greenland .
Peary caribou ( R. tarandus pearyi ), found in the northern islands of the Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada.
Svalbard reindeer ( R. tarandus platyrhynchus ), found on the Svalbard islands of Norway , is the smallest subspecies of reindeer.
Mountain reindeer ( R. tarandus tarandus ), found in the Arctic tundra of Eurasia, including the Fennoscandia peninsula of northern Europe.
Porcupine caribou or '''Grant's caribou' ( R. tarandus granti ), which are found in Alaska , the Yukon , and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Very similar to R. tarandus groenlandicus , and probably better regarded as a junior synonym of that subspecies.Cronin, M. A., M. D. Macneil, and J. C. Patton (2005). Variation in Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite DNA in Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in North America. Journal of Mammalogy 86(3): 495–505.
Barren-ground caribou ( R. tarandus groenlandicus ), found in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada and in western Greenland.
Woodland reindeer
Finnish forest reindeer ( R. tarandus fennicus ), found in the wild in only two areas of the Fennoscandia|Fennoscandia peninsula of Northern Europe , in Finnish/Russian Karelia , and a small population in central south Finland . The Karelia population reaches far into Russia, however, so far that it remains an open question whether reindeer further to the east are R. t. fennicus as well.Citation needed|date=May 2012
Migratory woodland caribou ( R. tarandus caribou ), or forest caribou , once found in the North American taiga (boreal forest) from Alaska to Newfoundland and Labrador and as far south as New England , Idaho, and Washington. Woodland caribou have disappeared from most of their original southern range and are considered Threatened species|threatened where they remain, with the notable exception of the Migratory woodland caribou of northern Quebec and Labrador , Canada. The name of the Cariboo district of central British Columbia relates to their once-large numbers there, but they have almost vanished from that area in the last century. A herd is protected in the Caribou Mountains (Alberta)|Caribou Mountains in Alberta . The above quoted range includes R. tarandus caboti (Labrador caribou), R. tarandus osborni (Osborn's caribou – from British Columbia) and R. tarandus terraenovae (Newfoundland caribou). Based on a review in 1961, these were considered invalid and included in R. tarandus caribou , but some recent authorities have considered them all valid, even suggesting that they are quite distinct.Geist, V. (2007). http://www.ub.uit.no/baser/septentrio/index.php/rangifer/article/viewFile/315/295 Defining subspecies, invalid taxonomic tools, and the fate of the woodland caribou. The Eleventh North American Caribou Workshop (2006). Rangifer (journal)|Rangifer , Special Issue 17: 25-28. An analysis of mtDNA in 2005 found differences between the caribous from Newfoundland, Labrador, south-western Canada and south-eastern Canada, but maintained all in R. tarandus caribou .
† Queen Charlotte Islands caribou ( R. tarandus dawsoni ) from the Queen Charlotte Islands was believed to represent a distinct subspecies. It became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century. However, recent DNA analysis from mitochondrial DNA of the remains from those reindeer suggest that the animals from the Queen Charlotte Islands were not genetically distinct from the Canadian mainland reindeer subspecies.
Reindeer and humans
Hunting
See also|Reindeer hunting in GreenlandReindeer hunting by humans has a very long history, and caribou/wild reindeer "may well be the species of single greatest importance in the entire anthropological literature on hunting."
Humans started hunting reindeer in the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, and humans are today the main predator in many areas. Norway and Greenland have unbroken traditions of hunting wild reindeer from the ice age until the present day. In the non-forested mountains of central Norway , such as Jotunheimen , it is still possible to find remains of stone-built trapping pit s, guiding fences, and bow rests, built especially for hunting reindeer. These can, with some certainty, be dated to the Migration Period , although it is not unlikely that they have been in use since the Stone Age .Citation needed|date=May 2012 Norway is now preparing to apply for nomination as a World Heritage Site for areas with traces and traditions of reindeer hunting in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park , Reinheimen National Park and Rondane National Park in Central Sør-Norge ( Southern Norway ). There is in these parts of Norway an unbroken tradition of reindeer hunting from post-glacial Stone Age until today.Citation needed|date=May 2012 Wild caribou are still hunted in North America and Greenland. In the traditional lifestyle of the Inuit people, Northern First Nations people, Alaska Natives , and the Kalaallit of Greenland, the caribou is an important source of food, clothing, shelter, and tools. Many Gwich'in people, who depend on the Porcupine caribou , still follow traditional caribou management practices that include a prohibition against selling caribou meat and limits on the number of caribou to be taken per hunting trip. http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/anwrgwichin1.html Gwich'in Traditional Management Practices. Arcticcircle.uconn.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-16.
The blood of the caribou was supposedly mixed with alcohol as drink by hunters and loggers in colonial Quebec to counter the cold. This drink is now enjoyed without the blood as a wine and whiskey drink known as Caribou (drink)|Caribou .Cite web |first=Sébastien |last=Mieusset |title=Le "Temps des sucres" au Québec |url= http://www.cuisine.tv/cid6799/le-temps-des-sucres-au-quebec.html |postscript=inconsistent citationsCite web|title=Quebec's Carnaval is worth freezing your a** off for |first=Julie |last=Ovenell-Carter |date=06-02-2009 |publisher=theseboots.travel |url= http://theseboots.travel/2009/02/06/worth-repeating-quebecs-carnaval-is-worth-freezing-your-a-off-for/|postscript=inconsistent citations
Reindeer husbandry
Reindeer have been Herding|herded for centuries by several Arctic and Subarctic people including the Sami people|Sami and the Nenets people|Nenets . They are raised for their meat, hides, and antlers and, to a lesser extent, for milk and transportation. Reindeer are not considered fully domesticated, as they generally roam free on pasture grounds. In traditional nomadic herding, reindeer herders migrate with their herds between coast and inland areas according to an annual migration route and herds are keenly tended. However, reindeer were not bred in captivity, though they were tamed for milking as well as for use as draught animals or Working animal|beasts of burden .Citation needed|date=May 2012 The use of reindeer as semi-domesticated livestock in Alaska was introduced in the late 19th century by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service , with assistance from Sheldon Jackson , as a means of providing a livelihood for Indigenous peoples|Native peoples there.King, Irving H.(1996). The Coast Guard Expands , p. 86–91. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 1-55750-458-X. Reindeer were imported first from Siberia, and later also from Norway. A regular mail run in Wales, Alaska , used a sleigh drawn by reindeer.cite book|author1=United States. Bureau of Education |author2=United States. Bureau of Education. Alaska Division |title=Annual report on introduction of domestic reindeer into Alaska |url= http://books.google.com/books? id=6RcWb-PNMiMC& pg=PA18 |accessdate=16 September 2011 |year=1905 |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |pages=18– |volume=14 In Alaska, reindeer herders use satellite telemetry to track their herds, using online maps and databases to chart the herd's progress.Citation needed|date=May 2012
Economy
The reindeer has (or has had) an important economic role for all circumpolar peoples , including the Sami people|Saami , Nenets people|Nenets , Khanty people|Khants , Evenks , Yukaghir s, Chukchi people|Chukchi , and Koryaks in Eurasia . It is believed that domestication started between the Bronze Age|Bronze and Iron Age s. Siberian deer owners also use the reindeer to ride on (Siberian reindeer are larger than their Scandinavian relatives). For breeders, a single owner may own hundreds or even thousands of animals. The numbers of Russian herders have been drastically reduced since the fall of the Soviet Union . The fur and meat is sold, which is an important source of income. Reindeer were introduced into Alaska near the end of the 19th century; they interbreed with native caribou subspecies there. Reindeer herders on the Seward Peninsula have experienced significant losses to their herds from animals (such as wolves) following the wild caribou during their migrations.Citation needed|date=May 2012 Reindeer meat is popular in the Scandinavian countries. Reindeer meatball s are sold canned. Sautéed reindeer is the best-known dish in Lapland. In Alaska and Finland, reindeer sausage is sold in supermarkets and grocery store s. Reindeer meat is very tender and lean. It can be prepared fresh, but also dried, salted , hot- and cold- smoking (food)|smoked . In addition to meat, almost all internal organs of reindeer can be eaten, some being traditional dishes. http://www.saunalahti.fi/~marian1/gourmet/reindeer.htm Reindeer. Saunalahti.fi. Retrieved on 2011-09-16. Furthermore, Lapin Poron liha , fresh reindeer meat completely produced and packed in Finnish Lapland , is protected in Europe with Protected Geographical Status#Protected designation of origin (PDO)|PDO classification.'' ' http://60north.mmm.fi/news? & article=13673753& section=05 Lapland Reindeer meat protected in the EU' North Magazine (Accessed 19 July 2010) http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/list.html European Commission PDO/PGI list (Accessed 19 July 2010)
Reindeer antler is powdered and sold as an aphrodisiac , nutritional or medicinal supplement to Asian markets.
Caribou have been a major source of subsistence for Canadian Inuit .
In history
Both Aristotle and Theophrastus have short accounts – probably based on the same source – of an ox-sized deer species, named tarandos , living in the land of the Budini|Bodines in Scythia , which was able to change the colour of its fur to obtain camouflage. The latter is probably a misunderstanding of the seasonal change in reindeer fur colour. The descriptions have been interpreted as being of reindeer living in the southern Ural Mountains at c. 350 BCCite book|last1= Sarauw |first1= Georg | authorlink1= Georg F.L. Sarauw |editor1-first= H. F. E. |editor1-last= Jungersen |editor2-first= E. |editor2-last= Warming |editor2-link= Eugenius Warming | title= Mindeskrift i Anledning af Hundredeaaret for Japetus Steenstrup s Fødsel |chapter= Das Rentier in Europa zu den Zeiten Alexanders und Cæsars |trans_chapter= The reindeer in Europe to the times of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar|year= 1914 |location= Copenhagen |language= German |pages= 1–33 A deer-like animal described by Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico (chapter 6.26) from the Hercynian Forest in the year 53 BC is most certainly to be interpreted as reindeer:"Est bos cervi figura, cuius a media fronte inter aures unum cornu* exsistit excelsius magisque directum his, quae nobis nota sunt, cornibus: ab eius summo sicut palmae ramique* late diffunduntur. Eadem est feminae marisque natura, eadem forma magnitudoque cornuum." Cite book|last1= Greenough |first1= J. B. | last2= D'Ooge |first2= Benjamin L. | last3= Daniell | first3= M. Grant | title= Commentary on Caesar, Gallic War |chapter= book 6, chapter 26 |url= http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext? doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0017& query=chapter%3D%23242 |year= 1898 |publisher= Ginn and Company |location= Boston quote|There is an ox shaped like a stag . In the middle of its forehead a single horn grows between its ears, taller and straighter than the animal horns with which we are familiar. At the top this horn spreads out like the palm of a hand or the branches of a tree. The females are of the same form as the males, and their horns are the same shape and size. According to Olaus Magnus 's Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus – printed in Rome in 1555 – Gustav I of Sweden sent 10 reindeer to Albert I, Duke of Prussia , in the year 1533. It may be these animals that Conrad Gessner had seen or heard of.
Name etymology
The name rangifer , which Linnaeus chose as the name for the reindeer genus , was used by Albertus Magnus in his De animalibus , fol. Liber 22, Cap. 268: "Dicitur Rangyfer quasi ramifer". This word may go back to a Sami languages|Saami word raingo . For the origin of the word tarandus , which Linnaeus chose as the species epithet , he made reference to Ulisse Aldrovandi 's Quadrupedum omnium bisulcorum historia fol. 859–863, Cap. 30: De Tarando (1621). However, Ulisse Aldrovandi|Aldrovandi – and before him Konrad Gesner Gesner, K. (1617) Historia animalium. Liber 1, De quadrupedibus viviparis . Tiguri 1551. p. 156: De Tarando. 9. 950: De Rangifero. – thought that rangifer and tarandus were two separate animals.Aldrovandi, U. (1621) Quadrupedum omnium bisulcorum historia . Bononiæ. Cap. 30: De Tarando – Cap. 31: De Rangifero. In any case, the tarandos name goes back to Aristotle and Theophrastus – see above.
Local names
The name rein (-deer) is of Norsemen|Norse origin ( Old Norse hreinn , which again goes back to Proto-Germanic *hrainaz and Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European *kroinos meaning "horned animal"). In the Uralic languages|Uralic languages, Sami languages|Sami poatsu (in Northern Sami boazu , in Lule Sami boatsoj , in Pite Sami båtsoj , in Southern Sami bovtse ), Mari language|Mari puc? and Udmurt language|Udmurt pudžej , all referring to domesticated reindeer, go back to *pocaw, an Iranian loanword deriving from Proto-Indo-European *pe?u-, meaning "cattle". The Finnish name poro may also stem from the same.Koivulehti, Jorma (2007): Saamen ja suomen 'poro'. Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 253. http://www.sgr.fi/sust/sust253/sust253_koivulehto.pdf The name caribou comes, through French, from Míkmaq language|Mi'kmaq qalipu , meaning "snow shoveler", referring to its habit of pawing through the snow for food.Flexner, Stuart Berg and Leonore Crary Hauck, eds. (1987). The Random House Dictionary of the English Language , 2nd ed. (unabridged). New York: Random House, pp. 315–16) In Inuktitut , the caribou is known by the name tuktu .Spalding, Alex, Inuktitut – A Multi-Dialectal Outline Dictionary (with an Aivilingmiutaq base) . Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, 1998. Eskimoisches Wörterbuch, gesammelt von den Missionaren in Labrador, revidirt und herausgegeben von Friedrich Erdmann . Budissin mod. Bautzen 1864. In Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi dialects the caribou is called atihkw .Citation needed|date=May 2012
Reindeer in Christmas
Santa Claus's reindeer
Main|Santa Claus's reindeer In the Santa Claus tale, Santa Claus's sleigh is pulled by flying reindeer. These were first named in the 1823 poem " A Visit from St. Nicholas ", where they are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem. http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/reindeer.shtml "The Legendary Role of Reindeer in Christmas, Jeff Westover, My Merry Christmas, accessed 27 December 2007 Dunder was later changed to Donder and—in other works—Donner (in German, "thunder"), and Blixem was later changed to Bliksem, then Blitzen (German for "lightning"). Some consider Rudolph as part of the group as well, though he was not part of the original named work referenced previously. Rudolph was added by Robert L. May in 1939 as " Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ".Citation needed|date=May 2012 According to the British comedy panel game QI , Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all of Santa's other reindeer must be either female or castration|castrated , because male reindeer lose their antlers during winter.
Heraldry and symbols
Several Norwegian municipalities have one or more reindeer depicted in their coats-of-arms: Eidfjord , Porsanger , Rendalen , Tromsø , Vadsø , and Vågå . The historic province of Västerbotten in Sweden has a reindeer in its coat of arms. The present Västerbotten County has very different borders and uses the reindeer combined with other symbols in its coat-of-arms. The city of Piteå also has a reindeer. The logo for Umeå University features three reindeer.Citation needed|date=May 2012 The Canadian 25-cent coin, or " Quarter (Canadian coin)|quarter " features a depiction of a caribou on one face. The caribou is the official provincial animal of Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada, and appears on the coat of arms of Nunavut . A caribou statue was erected at the center of the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial , marking the spot in France where hundreds of soldiers from Newfoundland were killed and wounded in the World War I|First World War and there is a replica in Bowring Park (St. John's)|Bowring Park , in St. John's, Newfoundland's capital city.Citation needed|date=May 2012 Two municipalities in Finland have reindeer motifs in their coats-of-arms: Kuusamo http://www.kuusamo.fi/Resource.phx/sivut/sivut-kuusamo/yleistietoa/tunnukset.htx Coat of arms for Kuusamo. has a running reindeer and Inari, Finland|Inari http://www.inari.fi/fi/viestinta/kuntaesittely/inarin-vaakuna.html Coat of arms for Inari. a fish with reindeer antlers. Clear
http://www.reindeerportal.org/ The Reindeer Portal, Source of Information About Reindeer Husbandry Worldwide
Rangifer.net has a http://www.rangifer.net/rangifer/herds/images/herd_species_big.jpg map of subspecies ranges.
http://www.pwnhc.ca/timeline/index_winIFix.asp? forward=http%3A//www.pwnhc.ca/timeline/1925/Reindeer_1935.htm#Scene_1 1935 Reindeer Herding in the Northwest Territories
http://www.nps.gov/archive/bela/html/rangifer.htm General information on Caribou and Reindeer
http://www.rangifer.net/rangifer/index.cfm Human Role in Reindeer/Caribou Systems
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/grants/reports/1725/ Reindeer Studies in South Georgia and Norway
http://www.villreinfangst.no/eng/index.php Reindeer hunting as World Heritage – a ten thousand year-long tradition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.09.014 The Scandinavian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) after the last glacial maximum: time, seasonality and human exploitation
http://reindeer.salrm.uaf.edu/about_reindeer/adaptations/index.php#Adaptations%20To%20Life%20In%20The%20Arctic Adaptations To Life In The Arctic – Instructional slide-show, University of Alaska
http://www.ub.uit.no/baser/rangifer/ Rangifer – world's only scientific journal dealing exclusively with husbandry, management and biology of Arctic and northern ungulates
http://arctic.fws.gov/carcon.htm Frequently Asked Questions about Caribou from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.caribouandyou.ca Caribou and You – Campaign by CPAWS to protect the Woodland caribou, a species at risk in Canada
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2008/env/0207n06.htm Newfoundland Five-Year Caribou Strategy Seeks to Address Declining Populations
Artiodactyla|R.1North American GameUse dmy dates|date=September 2010 Category:Reindeer| Category:Deer Category:Fauna of the Arctic Category:Arctic land animals Category:Mammals of Europe Category:Mammals of Asia Category:Mammals of Canada Category:Fauna of Greenland Category:Mammals of Russia Category:Mammals of the United States Category:Megafauna of Eurasia Category:Megafauna of North America Category:Alaskan cuisine Category:Algonquian loanwords Category:Monotypic mammal genera Category:Animals described in 1758