Reno (Sp), Ren (G), Renne (F). This species is called reindeer in Europe and Asia, caribou in North America.
DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height 32-47 inches (81-119 cm). Weight 150-330 pounds (68-150 kg). Females are about one-third smaller than males.
The reindeer of Eurasia are somewhat smaller than the caribou of North America and their antlers usually have much less palmation, but they are otherwise similar. This species has the most antler growth in comparison to body size of any antlered animal and is unique among deer in that antlers are grown by both sexes, those of females being small and spindly. Antlers are clear of velvet in September; adult males shed theirs in December or January; females shed in May. Calves grow antlers their first year and retain them through the winter. The coat consists of a heavy undercoat covered by straight, tubular guard hairs that contain air cells. Coloration varies widely, but most reindeer are dark grayish-brown in summer, lightening to pale gray in winter. Underparts are pale. Domestic reindeer tend to be smaller than wild specimens and are highly variable in color; however, feral populations are soon indistinguishable from their wild forebears.
DISTRIBUTION Domestic reindeer from Eurasia have been introduced in several parts of western Alaska, in the Mackenzie River delta in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and in parts of western Greenland, and have become established in the wild. They have hybridized with native caribou in many areas where they have come in contact. Domestic reindeer are also found on game ranches in Texas and elsewhere.
REMARKS Domestic reindeer from Siberia were introduced (1892-1902) on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska by the U.S. government as a source of meat and skins for Eskimos. Subsequent transplants were made elsewhere on the Alaskan mainland, including Unalakleet and Point Barrow, and on Nunivak, St. Matthew and the Pribilof islands in the Bering Sea, Atka and Unmak islands in the Aleutians, and Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. The population peaked in 1936 at between 600,000 and one million animals. In 1937, however, all reindeer were turned over to the Eskimos, who-at that time-largely failed to manage them, but instead slaughtered large numbers and allowed the rest to destroy the slow-growing lichens that are essential to their winter survival. Numbers declined to about 25,000 by 1950, but have since stabilized. Today, reindeer are found mainly on the Seward and Kotzebue peninsulas, on Nunivak Island where there are large, Eskimo-owned herds, and on Unmak Island. These animals are not under government jurisdiction and may be hunted by arrangement with the owners. There also are several hundred feral reindeer on Kodiak Island that may be hunted upon buying an Alaska license and caribou tag, with no closed season or bag limit.
Domestic reindeer from Alaska were introduced (1935) in the Northwest Territories of Canada when a herd was driven from near the Bering Sea to the Mackenzie River delta in an epic journey that lasted more than five years and covered some 750 miles (1,200 km). Two Lapp herdsmen started from the Selawik River on Christmas Day, 1929, with 3,400 reindeer and arrived at their destination in February, 1935, with 2,370 animals, of which around 470 were members of the original herd and 1,900 were born during the journey, the others having died or disappeared along the way. The herd is established in a 3,700,000-acre (1,500,000-hectare) reserve, where its numbers have increased and are held stable by annual cropping for meat and skins.
Domestic reindeer from Norway were introduced (1952) in parts of western Greenland and have become established in the wild.