What is the difference between caribou and reindeer? | Ask a Scientist

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Research Scientist, Mathieu Leblond, answers one of his most frequently asked question about studying the caribou. He explains if caribou are all the same and if there are different kinds.
Submit your question to Ask A Scientist!
Get the details here: Canada.ca/ask-a...
* * * * Transcript * * * * *
ON SCREEN :
ask a scientist
KERBENS BOISETTE (Host, Ask a Scientist, Environment and Climate Change Canada):
Caribou are majestic animals that can be found in many parts of Canada. And Maëlle from Gatineau wants to know more about them.
MAËLLE:
Hi my name is Maëlle, and I am really interested in caribou. Like, are there different types of caribou or are there just caribou? And what about reindeer, are they a kind of caribou? Or are they just another kind of animal?
KERBENS BOISETTE:
We just so happen to have a scientist who specializes in caribou conservation, Dr. Mathieu Leblond, who can answer this question.
MATHIEU LEBLOND (Research Scientist, Environment and Climate Change Canada):
People often wonder, what is the difference between caribou and reindeer?
And also, they may wonder, are there any differences between different types of caribou, different populations of caribou or reindeer across the world?
Well, first of all, the first thing you need to know is that all caribou and reindeer across the planet currently belong to the same species, whose Latin name is “Rangifer tarandus”.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Latin Name:
Rangifer Tarandus
MATHIEU LEBLOND:
So, the only difference really between the two names, caribou and reindeer, simply comes from the place where they live.
So, when we talk about caribou that live in North America, in Canada or Alaska, we say “caribou”. And when we talk about caribou living in Europe, like in Scandinavian countries or in northern Russia, we say “reindeer.”
So, technically, there is no difference between the caribou that we find on our 25 cents in Canada and Santa Claus’s reindeer.
That being said, even if it is the same species, throughout the world there are still important differences between different groups of caribou, both anatomical and behavioural.
So, for example, in northern Canada, caribou live in large herds of tens of thousands of individuals, and they make long migrations which allow them to reach northern areas in time for calving in the spring.
Further down south in the boreal forest, caribou are rather sedentary, and they live alone or in small groups, depending on the season. And if we go completely north of Canada in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, we find the Peary caribou, which is much smaller than the southern caribou and is white in colour - very different.
So, in the end, there are no less than 11 different types of caribou in Canada which we call Designatable Units.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Designatable Units
MATHIEU LEBLOND:
And these Designatable Units are all considered to be important elements of biodiversity in Canada, and they all need to be protected.
And, many aboriginal peoples also recognize the great diversity of caribou which are based on more subtle differences in their seasonable behaviour or the anatomy of individuals. And these groups of course differ across Canada, from British Columbia to the west, to the island of Newfoundland in the east.
So, as you can see, although at first glance, the answer to, “what’s the difference between different types of caribou”, may appear simple, it is, as many things in nature, much more complex.
KERBENS BOISETTE:
So reindeer are European, how cool is that. Thanks so much Mathieu, for telling us about the different types of caribou found around the world.
Feeling curious? Our scientists are here to answer your questions, so don't hesitate to send them here, to Ask a Scientist.
ON SCREEN:
#AskAScientist
ask a scientist
Canada.ca/ask-a-scientist