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Barren-ground Caribou
Conservation status
Least concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Odocoilinae Genus: Rangifer Species: R. tarandus Subspecies: R. tarandus groenlandicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Binomial name
Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Barren-ground Caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) are a subspecies of caribou that are found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. They are medium sized caribou with the females 90 kg (198 lb) and the males 150 kg (331 lb). However, on some of the smaller island the average weight may be less.

Like the Peary Caribou both the males and females have antlers. In general during the summer the coat of the caribou is brown and much lighter in the winter. The neck and rump tends towards a creamy-white colour. However the general colouration may differ depending on the region.

The barren-ground caribou usually breeds in the fall and calves in June but may not drop their single calf until July. Usually the female will give birth away from the herd and if possible on a patch of snow. After birth the female will lick the calf clean and eat the tissues and the placenta. This may serve two purposes, first to replace nutrients lost from birthing and second to help remove the scent that would attract predators.

The main food source is lichen but they will also feed on Cyperaceae (sedges) and other grasses along with twigs and mushrooms. Caribou have also been observed to eat antlers, seaweed and will lick salt deposits. There is some evidence to suggest that on occasion they will also feed on lemmings, arctic char and bird eggs.

Barren-ground caribou migration near the Thelon River

On the mainland of Canada the animals may travel in herds of several thousand but on the islands they move in smaller groups (no more than 50). They are migratory animals and may travel 1,200 km (746 mi) in a season. Some groups, such as those living on Victoria Island during the summer, will migrate to the mainland in the fall time after the sea ice has formed. At this time the smaller groups may form into a larger herd and several hundred animals may be seen.

The barren-ground caribou, called tuktu in Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut, and written as ᓇᐹᕐᑐᕐᑲᓐᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ in Inuktitut syllabics, is a major food source for the Inuit. The major predator is the arctic wolf and they may follow the herd for many miles. The caribou has poor eyesight and hearing but is capable of outrunning the wolf.

• NatureServe
• Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut by Ingrid Anand-Wheeler. ISBN 1-55325-035-4
• Deer Specialist Group (1996). Rangifer tarandus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 18 June 2006.

• Barren-ground Caribou
• Hinterland Who's Who