Why do caribou grow hair in the winter but lose it in the summer?

In summer the foot pads are large and the edges of the hooves worn flat so that the pad rests on the ground. In winter the hooves grow in length, the pads shrink and become tough, and the hair between the toes form tufts to cover the pads, protecting the foot from heat loss.

1. Why do caribou lose their antlers?
2. What does a caribou do in summer?
3. How does the temperature affect caribou migration?
4. What do caribou do in the winter?
5. Why are caribou antlers red?
6. Do caribou hibernate?
7. How do caribou survive the winter?
8. Where do caribou spend the winter?
9. Do arctic foxes eat caribou?
10. How cold can caribou live in?
11. What do caribou eat in the winter?
12. What animal eats lemmings?
13. How do caribou deal with the change in climate during winter?
14. How is climate change affecting caribou?
15. How are Arctic caribou affected by climate change?

Why do caribou lose their antlers?

Male caribou shed their antlers in November or December, after mating. Females will often carry theirs until June, after they have given birth, to help them defend food sources while nursing their calves.

What does a caribou do in summer?

Caribou make one of the world's great large-animal migrations. As summer approaches, they head north along well-trod annual routes. Some herds may travel more than 600 miles to get to their summer grazing grounds. They'll spend the summer months feeding on the abundant grasses and plants of the tundra.

How does the temperature affect caribou migration?

Warmer winter temperatures are increasing ice-free periods and therefore increasing difficulty for caribou to travel on or around water bodies.

What do caribou do in the winter?

During the winter, they live off of lichen, dried grass and willow twigs. Caribou use their hooves to dig and scoop through the winter snow to get to the lichen it likes to eat.

Why are caribou antlers red?

Caribou are the only species among the deer family which both males and females have antlers: ... As the season progresses, antlers become calcified and harden and eventually the vascular skin falls off. Bull caribou shed their velvet just before the rut and as a result will often have red stained antlers in mid-September.

Do caribou hibernate?

Some animals hibernate, or sleep, while other animals go to warmer areas in the winter. ... Other animals migrate including some bats, caribou, elk, and whales. Some fish and insects migrate as well.

How do caribou survive the winter?

In order to keep warm during the winter, caribou have two layers of insulating fur. This fur, while warm is completely hollow. Their buoyant hairs, wide hooves, and strong legs help them to swim as fast as 6 miles per hour.

Where do caribou spend the winter?

In Alaska, caribou prefer treeless tundra and mountains during all seasons, but many herds winter in the boreal forest (taiga). Calving areas are usually located in mountains or on open, coastal tundra.

Do arctic foxes eat caribou?

These species feed on herbivores that are appropriately sized. For example, arctic foxes feed on lemmings, birds and carrion, Blue Planet Biomes states, while grey wolves, which are larger than foxes, hunt larger prey, including caribou, sheep and goats.

How cold can caribou live in?

Caribou are well adapted to living in cold regions and thrive in areas where winter temperatures can reach 70 or 80 degrees below zero. Caribou have a very dense haircoat, made up of wooly underfur and hollow guardhair, over their entire body (except the very tip of their nose) that provides superior insulation.

What do caribou eat in the winter?

Caribou are herbivorous. During fall and winter, they consume lichens (reindeer moss), dried sedges and small shrubs. During summer, caribou eat the leaves of willows, sedges, flowering tundra plants, and mushrooms.

What animal eats lemmings?

Lemmings have a vast number of predators like wolverines and snowy owls, but almost any carnivore will consume a lemming as a small meal. These rodents are a major source of protein for these animals and are very important for the ecosystem.

How do caribou deal with the change in climate during winter?

Caribou avoid burned areas in winter and the changes in their distribution can persist across multiple generations of hunters. Those who rely on caribou in fire-prone areas may therefore have fewer available as climate change increases the number and sizes of fires in the boreal forests.

How is climate change affecting caribou?

Warming climate is also expected to increase parasites that can affect behavior, condition, and productivity of caribou. On the plus side, some areas may experience an earlier greenup, providing better food for caribou during calving, a critical time for growth.

How are Arctic caribou affected by climate change?

In many regions, climate change is causing longer and warmer summers. In the context of caribou, which live in colder regions, this typically means longer growing seasons and better access to nutritious plants throughout the summer months.