Reindeer

For other uses, see Reindeer (disambiguation).
"Caribou" redirects here. For other uses, see Caribou (disambiguation).

Reindeer
(Caribou)
Temporal range: Chibanian to present[1]
↓
A reindeer in Norway

Secure  (NatureServe)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Tribe: Odocoileini
Genus: Rangifer
C. H. Smith, 1827
Species:
R. tarandus
Binomial name
Rangifer tarandus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Species

See text, traditionally 1, but possibly up to 6

Reindeer range: North American (green), Eurasian (red), and Alaskan introduced (orange)

The reindeer or caribou[a] (Rangifer tarandus)[5] is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America.[2] It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou into six distinct species over their range.

Reindeer occur in both migratory and sedentary populations, and their herd sizes vary greatly in different regions. The tundra subspecies are adapted for extreme cold, and some are adapted for long-distance migration.

Reindeer vary greatly in size and color from the smallest, the Svalbard reindeer (R. (t.) platyrhynchus), to the largest, Osborn's caribou (R. t. osborni). Although reindeer are quite numerous, some species and subspecies are in decline and considered vulnerable. They are unique among deer (Cervidae) in that females may have antlers, although the prevalence of antlered females varies by subspecies.

Reindeer are the only successfully semi-domesticated deer on a large scale in the world. Both wild and domestic reindeer have been an important source of food, clothing, and shelter for Arctic people from prehistorical times. They are still herded and hunted today.[6] In some traditional Christmas legends, Santa Claus's reindeer pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to good children on Christmas Eve.

  1. ^ Kurtén, Björn (1968). Pleistocene Mammals of Europe. Transaction Publishers. pp. 170–177. ISBN 978-1-4128-4514-4. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b Gunn, A. (2016). "Rangifer tarandus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T29742A22167140. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T29742A22167140.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (13 December 2022). "Fun Facts about Reindeer and Caribou". Food and Drug Administration.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Flagstad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Burch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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