Woodland Caribou

Adult bulls can weigh as much as 270Kg (600lb), but the average is 180Kg (400lb). Average cows weigh 115K (250lb).

The Woodland Caribou are a beautiful animal. Their coats are a rich dark brown in the summer and fade to a grayish tan in the Spring. Their neck hair is creamy white and the manes on a mature bull become more pronounced as it's neck swells during the rut. In the Fall their antlers shed their velvet.

Behaviour: Woodland Caribou are migratory. In Alberta there are two ecotypes of Woodland Caribou. They differ primarily in their migration habits. The mountain ecotype in west central Alberta undertakes long migrations of 80Km or more between it's forested foothills winter range and mountainous summer range. The boreal ecotype may carry out long or short seasonal migrations (15Km to 80Km) but remains within forested habitats throughout the year.

Woodland Caribou breed in early to mid-October and the calves are ususally born between late May and early June. A cow mates when she is about 2 1/2 years old and will ususally have only one calf a year.

Food: The major food sources of Woodland Caribou are ground and tree lichens. It takes 80 to 150 years for a forest community to grow adequate amounts of lichen for Caribou. Their winter diet is usually comprised of 6O% to 70% lichens, with shrubs and grasses comprising the majority of the balance. During the winter they dig for ground lichens in soft snow. When the snow becomes crusted or compacted, digging becomes difficult and so they eat tree lichens. Summer diet consists of willow and forbs, and 25% to 35% lichens.

See Environmental Issues for information on Woodland Caribous' status as an endangered species, how their habitat is being impacted and what is being done to resolve the isssues.