How fast can caribou run?
When the caribou eats, the food goes down to the caribous first stomach, where it is mashed into small pieces called cud and stored to eat at the caribous next meal. Because caribous can eat large quantities of food they increase their internal heat production to prevent them from freezing in extreme weather conditions.
Caribou herds migrate different distances. Large herds are more apt to migrate long distances, while smaller herds often migrate shorter distances. For example, the Porcupine caribou herd, which contains about 218,000 animals, migrates between summer and winter ranges that are about 400 miles apart.
This is important because the caribou calves are fast runners within hours of their birth. When caribou migrate, the calves run with their mothers. If they become separated, the mother searches for many hours to find her calf.
-Some caribou migrate over 3000 miles a year. -Can run up to 50 mph -Caribou comes from the Micmac Indian word, snow shoveller. -Caribou are an endangered species. Why do caribou calves have to be fast?
Herbivorous
Reindeer/Trophic level
Not extinct
Reindeer/Extinction status
The spring migration starts in early March and lasts until May as the caribou separate themselves into groups and migrate separately. The pregnant females and some yearlings, as well as the barren cows will start to migrate first, with the bulls following in their footsteps.
For example, the Porcupine caribou herd, which contains about 218,000 animals, migrates between summer and winter ranges that are about 400 miles apart. The Central Arctic herd, which contains about 30,000 animals, migrates between summer and winter ranges that are about 120 miles apart.
They’re fast While they may not fly, scientists say caribou can run as fast as 48 mph (80 km per hour), though their normal walk is a slow one.
In North America, the animals are called caribou if they are wild and reindeer if they are domesticated. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, while in most other deer species, only the males have antlers. Compared to their body size, reindeer have the largest and heaviest antlers of all living deer species.
50 km/hMaximum
Reindeer/Speed
