Peary Caribou
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The Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) is a caribou subspecies found in the high Arctic islands of Canada's Nunavut and Northwest territories. They are the smallest of the North American caribou, with the females weighing an average of 60 kg (132 lb) and the males 110 kg (243 lb). In length the females average 1.4 m (4.6 ft) and the males 1.7 m (5.6 ft).
Similar to the Barren-ground Caribou the Peary is unusual in that both the males and females have antlers. The bulls' grow their antlers from March to August and the females from June to September and in both cases the velvet is gone by October. The coat of the caribou is white and thick in the winter and in the summer becomes short and darker almost slate-grey in colour. The coat is made up of hollow hair which helps to trap warmer air and insulate the caribou.
The males become sexually mature after two years and the females after three years. Breeding is in the fall and depends on the female having built up sufficient fat reserves. The gestation period last for 7 to 8 months and one calf is produced.
Peary caribou feed on most of the available grasses, Cyperaceae (sedges), lichen and mushrooms. In particular they seem to enjoy the Purple Saxifrage and in summer their muzzles become purple from the plants. Their hooves are sharp and shaped like a shovel to enable them to dig through the snow in search of food.
The caribou are not migratory and rarely travel more than 150 km (93 miles) from their winter feeding grounds to the summer ones. They are able to outrun the wolf, their main predator, and are good swimmers. They usually travel in small groups of no more than 12 in the summer and 4 in the winter.
The Peary caribou, called tuktu in Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut and written as ᕐᑯᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ in Inuktitut syllabics, is a major food source for the Inuit and was named after Robert Peary.
References
- [NatureServe]
- Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut by Ingrid Anand-Wheeler. ISBN 1-55325-035-4
- Deer Specialist Group (1996). [Rangifer tarandus ssp. pearyi]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 17 June 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN A1b, C1)
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