October 17, 2011

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Caribou

We saw only a few of caribou while we visited Denali National Park, and they were all at a considerable distance. We found the one grazing below while we were traveling on the park road. We watched him eat for a while and took several profile shots. Briefly, he turned and looked at us, as if he wanted to ask, “what are YOU looking at?” I thought it was a cute pose. By the way, the disturbed dirt shown in the background was the result of digging by some brown bears! 


Here are come tidbits about these handsome creatures, also known as a reindeer. Both the males and females have antlers and grow them each year. They are herbivores, eating up to 12 pounds a day of lichens, mosses, grasses, and plants. The low-bush cranberry shrub is one of their favorites! Caribou have concave shaped hooves that hold them up like snowshoes on deep snow. They make a characteristic clicking sound when they move, the result of tendons slipping over the bones in their feet. Finally, caribou are famously known for their long migrations, with their summer and winter ranges located hundreds of miles apart. Some herds have been observed to travel up to an incredible 3000 miles per year!

9 comments:

  1. He looks like his antlers are too big for his head! Great photo!

    ReplyDelete
  2. He looks so cute! I love the photo, and it's interesting that brown bears would be digging so much? I suppose looking for grubs & other goodies down in that fertile looking soil.

    ReplyDelete
  3. He does have an Eeyore quality to him, doesn't he? Some digging those bears were doing. We could've used their "help."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness, that's exactly what he's saying:-) Such a beautiful picture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh they showed these incredible animals on the documentary that we saw. Very amazing animals with great survival instinct.
    Great capture!
    Have a lovely day my friend.
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful pic and interesting post! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fantastic shot and great reindeer facts!!! Up on the rooftop, click click click ... and my, what large divots those brown bears leave behind! Tut tut.

    ReplyDelete
  8. No Wonder they are a Christmas Deer! Cranberry bush!
    Great shot!
    hughugs

    ReplyDelete

Marty, here! Donna loves comments, and I faithfully pass them on to her. Thank you so much for visiting!