In Canada, we have five main caribou
herds that roam the North, migrating for hundreds of miles each year. The
children love to learn some special things about caribou:
Reindeer are only one small
part of the caribou population and are found in northern Europe. So, if the
North Pole is at the very top of Canada, then the animals that Santa would
use on his journey at Christmas time would actually be caribou!
Both male and female caribou
grow antlers - the only members of the deer family to do so. The reason that
the female need antlers too is that they migrate to a birthing area and no
males come along until after the calves have all been born. The females need
to protect their calves from the wolves.
Caribou antlers are easily
identifiable because they have two sections to their antlers. One part grows
up and back like other deer, but the second part grows straight to the
front, above the eyes. Children like to put their hands up by their
foreheads to show this part.
It always looks like the
caribou has a white scarf to keep warm in the colder North. The white across
the shoulders and neck area looks just like a scarf!
We could nickname the caribou
big foot, because their hooves are very wide to help them walk on the snow
as well as on the soft lichen tundra.
