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Surveys done by the government of the Northwest Territories in 1994 showed the herds at their highest level since population figures have been recorded: 496,000 animals in the Qamanirjuaq herd (plus or minus 105,400 standard error), and 276,000 caribou in the Beverly herd (plus or minus 111,000 standard error). The margins around the population estimates depend on whether caribou surveyed on the calving grounds (that's where caribou censuses are done) were evenly distributed. The greater the grouping and segregation of age, sex, and reproductive classes, the greater the margin around the population estimate.

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What do caribou eat?

They eat lichens, especially in winter when other plants are not available. They also feed on the branches of dwarf willow and birch, and on grasses and sedges. In autumn, they eat fungi (mushrooms) as well.

Why do caribou migrate?

Theories to explain migration involve food, predation, insects, and weather. Migration opens up a larger and more variable food supply. It allows caribou to calve and raise their young away from most wolves that den near the forest-tundra border. It allows them to avoid some of the biting insects and parasites that have an insect stage in their cycle. Finally, it permits them to summer in a relatively cool location and to secure abundant lichens under snow in forested areas in winter.

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How far do the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou walk every year?

Their summer and winter ranges typically are 500 - 1000 km (313 - 625 miles) apart but caribou travel much farther than twice those distances each year. As well as spring and autumn migrations, the herds have a mid-summer migration to near tree line. Furthermore, travel is often in zigzag and back-and-forth patterns. Thus, caribou may travel 2000 - 4000 km (1250 - 2500 miles) or more in a year.

Do caribou always return to the same spot on their winter range, just as they always go back to their calving grounds?

Caribou travel to find a good supply of food. Since lichens (their winter diet) grow very, very slowly after fire -- it can take between 50 and 100 years -- caribou move on to another area once they have completely grazed a section of the range. If fire has destroyed lichens and other plant growth, this will also force caribou to another part of their range.

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How big are caribou?

They are slightly larger than white-tailed deer. In winter, adult females weigh an average of 80 - 90 kg (176 - 198 lbs.), depending on environmental conditions. Adult males average 109 kg (240 lbs.) in winter. However, just before the rut in October, adult males averaged 147 kg (323 lbs.) because of large stores of fat that are lost during the rut.

What noise does a caribou make?

Although usually silent, caribou do vocalize at certain times. During the rut, bulls frequently pant and bellow, and for several months after calving, mothers and calves grunt back and forth to each other. Click here to listen to the sounds that calves make. Caribou often snort for a variety of reasons, but the most common sound associated with them is the clicking of their feet while walking - a noise produced by a tendon slipping over the sesamoid bone in the foot.

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Are caribou dangerous to people?

Not at all. Caribou are very docile creatures and are afraid of humans.

How many calves do cows usually have each year?

Only one. Herded reindeer occasionally have two calves.

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How long do caribou live?

Females live as long as 16 years and males about 13 years.

Does the mineral exploration that's going on in the North bother caribou?

Females with young calves are sensitive to any activity on the ground. At other times, the degree of disturbance depends on the human activity. In 2004, the BQCMB made many recommendations to governments and regulatory agencies for protecting the herds and their habitats from the effects of increasing mineral exploration and other human-caused activity in its position paper, Protecting Calving Grounds, Post-Calving Areas and Other Important Habitats for Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou

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Do other animals attack caribou?

Wolves in the range of the herds depend on the caribou for their main food supply. Grizzly bears kill some caribou but their main food supply is vegetation. Wolverine and lynx also are known to attack caribou.

How many caribou are hunted from the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds each year?

It varies from year to year depending on movements of the caribou in relation to communities on the range. The kill is estimated to be between 16,000 and 20,000 caribou in most years.

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Are caribou found throughout the world?

They occur in arctic, sub-arctic, and some temperate regions around the globe. Caribou, the oldest species of the deer family, are known as reindeer elsewhere. Their Latin name is Rangifer tarandus. In northern Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia, reindeer are domesticated animals. In Siberia, they are both wild and domesticated. They are smaller than caribou and have shorter legs.

Peary caribou (R. pearyi) occur on arctic islands in Canada and similar small, light-colored forms occur in Norway and Siberia. Barren-ground caribou live in northern Canada and Alaska. Woodland caribou are found further south in Canada. There is an endangered population of woodland caribou in northern Idaho and northwest Montana.

Does the word "caribou" mean something in particular?

The word "caribou" is believed to come from a Micmac Indian word, "xalibou," which means one that paws, or shovels. That's a reference to the caribou's wide concave hooves. They work like snowshoes, keeping the animals from sinking into deep snow. They're also ideal for scooping out snow so that caribou can find their food. Dene Indians call caribou "etthén" and Inuit call the animal "tuktu."

Where do the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds get their names?

Both herds are named after a body of water near their traditional calving grounds. The Beverly herd is named after Beverly Lake, about 150 kilometres northwest of the community of Baker Lake in the Northwest Territories. The Qamanirjuaq herd is named after Qamanirjuaq Lake (Kaminuriak on maps), about 200 kilometres west of Rankin Inlet in the Northwest Territories. In Inuktitut, the language of Inuit, Qamanirjuaq means "huge lake adjoining a river at both ends."

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What's the difference between woodland caribou and barren-ground caribou?

Woodland caribou are larger and somewhat darker than barren-ground caribou.
Their antlers differ somewhat but most people would not be able to tell one from the other.

Can you buy caribou meat in stores?

Yes, most northern communities sell caribou meat at various times of the year. Meat exported from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern Quebec is government inspected.

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What does caribou meat taste like?

Like venison. It's also a very lean meat, which makes it a good nutritional choice. It's also far more affordable than imported foods. The value of the resident caribou harvest is estimated as the total edible food weight multiplied by the cost of an appropriate store-bought food like beef. According to statistics compiled in 2001, the total harvest for domestic and commercial use, including outfitting, was approximately 18,500 animals. This total represents over 850,000 kg of meat. Using a value of $20 per kg of beef sold in Kivalliq stores, the replacement value of caribou is considered to be approximately $17 million for the harvest from both herds in 2001.

How long do caribou keep their antlers?

Antlers fall off old bulls in November and December after the breeding (known as "rutting") period in October. Bulls up to three years old keep their antlers until March or April. Cows keep theirs until after they have calved in early June. Cows that are not pregnant drop their antlers in April and May.

Do antlers serve any purpose?

There is evidence from other species that females prefer to breed with males with large antlers. Large antlers indicate a strong and fit individual with good genes. They also allow individuals to recognize each other and know who they can beat in a fight, and who to avoid. Fights are avoided unless two caribou are evenly matched. Fighting takes up a lot of energy and the animals could get hurt or killed. Antlers are used for defense only when a caribou is caught by a predator.

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Why is caribou clothing so warm?

It's because of the hair. Each caribou hair has a network of large, honeycomb-like cells that trap air, acting as an excellent insulator. Air is also trapped between the densely-packed hairs.

What adaptations have caribou made to live in cold climates?

Their hollow hair and short ears and tail allow them to tolerate extreme cold. Their large rounded hooves are used to remove up to one metre of snow over lichens and to travel on soft wet ground. These are just two examples of many.

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Is there anything special about caribou behaviour besides their spectacular migrations?

After calving the caribou mass into groups of up to 30,000 caribou. The sight of such groups rivals that of the great herds of wildebeest in Africa. Those dense clumps are believed to provide some relief from blood-sucking mosquitoes.

Why are the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds of caribou important?

Northern people within their range depend on the caribou for food. The value of the resident caribou harvest was estimated at about $17 million dollars in 2001 and the cultural value cannot be estimated. The caribou are an essential part of northern ecosystems. They qualify as a "keystone species" because many other forms of life depend on them.

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What, historically, has the relationship been like between biologists and hunters?

The following response comes from former BQCMB member and longtime Canadian Wildlife Service caribou biologist Don Thomas with regard to a specific example, that of the relationship between Canadian Wildlife Service biologists and aboriginal people during the "caribou crisis" of the 1950s-1970s. "Some anthropologists suggest that non indigenous people can never understand traditional knowledge for they must extract it from its context within the culture. And so you will have to extract the relationship between Dene and CWS biologists in the 1950s and 1960s from writings that are scientific in nature and perhaps from interviews with elders in both groups from that period.

You are too late in the case of Frank Banfield, John Kelsall, and Vern Hawley. The context is that the biologists were trained in biology, zoology, and wildlife management and they applied what they had learned to caribou in the Arctic and Subarctic. They knew little of traditional knowledge and language was a barrier. Most of them lived in the North for many years. Offices were located in Aklavik, Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and Baker Lake.

In spite of those problems, Dene, Metis, and Inuit were hired for many projects. For example, in 1960 CWS made arrangements to hire Inuit and their canoe to help tag caribou on the Thelon River west of Aberdeen Lake. I know because I was the CWS student working with two Inuit. Again, in 1962, CWS hired an Inuk to help with tagging and that activity continued for several years after I left. In 1960, I worked with two Inuit tagging caribou at Contwoyto Lake. After a period of training, I left them to continue the task on their own.

From 1958 through 1962, local hunters and trappers were hired all winter to reduce the number of wolves preying on the depressed caribou herds. True, there were some biologists who did not involve the local people in their studies.

In 1958-62, Andrew MacPherson worked on white fox at Aberdeen Lake and not only hired an Inuk from Baker Lake as his only helper but conversed in Inuktitut. From 1968 through 1973, Don Miller conducted range studies in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan and adjacent NWT. He hired people from Brochet to help him with field work in winter. The CWS office in Fort Smith hired local Dene and Metis people on many occasions. From 1980 through 1987, I conducted caribou and caribou habitat studies out of Fort Smith and worked with many Dene and Metis people in field camps in both summer and winter. You will see acknowledgements to indigenous people in many reports and publications of CWS biologists.

I provide those examples to indicate that there was no intent to exclude Indigenous people from studies. To the contrary, they were involved more than in any other science, with the possible exception of Anthropology. Even there, local people have become involved in "digs" relatively recently."

Are there any detailed profiles of the two herds?

Yes. The Beverly Caribou Herd – Continental Wilderness Travelers and The Qamanirjuaq Caribou Herd – An Arctic Enigma are thorough, wide-ranging case studies. These are the Board's contribution to the Wild Caribou of North America project.

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