Caribou

When we think of tundra, we think of snow. And when we think of snow, we think of Santa. But did you know that Santa’s reindeers are actually caribous? A caribou and a reindeer are considered the same species. The main difference is that caribous have never been domesticated and reindeers are found in farms or conservations. Caribous are also the only family of deer where everyone, both male and female, grows antlers.

Every March, antlers start to grow. They are covered in a special fuzzy skin called velvet. When fall begins, the velvet starts to come off. Sometimes they get the velvet off by running their antlers across rocks and branches. When winter comes, the males will lose their antlers altogether. A female caribou will not lose its antlers until it has a baby.