Wildlife
Reindeer, or caribou, can outperform all other land animals in their energy efficiency - so are a fitting choice as the legendary Christmas sleigh-pullers! They're more usually seen on their mammoth annual migration to the Arctic during which the North American herds might travel for more than 5,000km - an extraordinary feat that takes them further than any other land mammal. A warm, insulating coat and large hooves are vital to their survival strategy against the extreme cold and snow of the Arctic. Reindeer are the only deer where both males and females sport antlers, complex structures that can reach epic proportions in males.
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Wanderlust
A restless urge stirs the caribou to travel 600km to their traditional birthing areas.
A restless urge stirs the caribou to travel 600km to their traditional birthing areas.
Caribou calving
Caribou reach their remote calving grounds to give birth.
Caribou reach their remote calving grounds to give birth.
Heading south
Huge herds of restless caribou leave their calving grounds before the frosts arrive.
By late July the caribou are beginning to move south again on their annual migration. After calving, they come together to form huge herds as they travel south. They are constantly on the move, feeding on windblown hills to avoid the plagues of mosquitoes and blackfly which follow them.
Arctic feast
Autumn in the Canadian Arctic gives caribou a chance to fatten up for winter.
Autumn in the Canadian Arctic gives caribou a chance to fatten up for winter.
Synchronised caribou calving
Thousands of calves are born within hours of each other and can outrun a man at a day old.
Thousands of calves are born within hours of each other and can outrun a man at a day old.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Reindeer can be found in a number of locations including: Arctic, Asia, Europe, North America, Russia. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Reindeer distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Population trend: Stable
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou in North America, is a species of deer native to Arctic and Subarctic regions. This includes both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and at least one has already gone extinct.
Reindeer vary considerably in color and size. Both sexes grow antlers, though they are typically larger in males. However, there are a few populations in which females lack antlers completely.
Wild reindeer hunting and herding of semi-domesticated reindeer (for meat, hides, antlers, milk and transportation) are important to several Arctic and Subarctic peoples. The reindeer is well known in folklore due to Santa Claus's sleigh being pulled by flying reindeer, a popular element of Christmas. In Lapland, reindeer pull pulks.
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Mountain grassland
Taiga
Coniferous forest
Temperate grassland
Tundra
Shedding body parts
Migration
Acoustic communication
Herbivorous
Maternal care
Polygynous
Active at birth
Social
Cold tolerant
Adapted to running
Chemical communication
Sexual dimorphism
Visual communication
Viviparous