Overview
Smaller and paler than the Alaska-Yukon subspecies, with long, simple antlers.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Cervidae
- Genus
- Rangifer
- Species
- Rangifer tarandus
Habitat
These caribou live on the tundra, and are found on the arctic islands and mainland Northwest Territory and Nunavut. They can also be found in extreme northeastern Alberta, northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba. Across the southern portion of it's range, this subspecies overlaps with the woodland caribou. Distribution- Northwest Territories and Nunavut: The mainland east of the Mackenzie River (north of Great Slave Lake) and east of the Slave River (south of Great Slave Lake), and also on King William, Southampton (introduced), Coats and Baffin islands. Alberta: Northeastern corner east of the Slave River. Saskatchewan and Manitoba: Far northern parts, where it intergrades with the woodland caribou over a large area.
Diet
Caribou consume a variety of foods on the tundra, including lichens, shrubs, sedges, willows, and mushrooms.
Behavior
Like other subspecies of caribou inhabiting the tundra, the Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou is highly migratory. The herds are large enough to have been named. Named herds include the Baffin Island, Bathurst, Beverly, Bluenose, Coats Island, Kaminuriak, and Melville-Wager.
Hunting
The quickness with which the herd migrates makes it difficult to sort out the trophy bulls from the great mass of animals. The largest bulls are often towards the back of the herd. It is possible to approach a moving herd quite closely; at times a man on horseback can almost ride into a herd.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Populations are difficult to estimate, and there is disagreement about the trends for this subspecies. Currently, populations are regarded as fairly stable but long-term population dynamics are uncertain.