Knowra Reindeer Reindeer Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are circumpolar deer native to northern Eurasia and North America. Some populations are domesticated, and the species is called caribou in North America.
Caribou : Caribou is the North American name for Rangifer tarandus, including wild populations. The name changes across the Atlantic, though caribou and reindeer are the same species.
Ruminant digestive system : The ruminant digestive system uses a four-compartment stomach to ferment plant material before final digestion. Its microbial fermentation lets reindeer extract nutrients from fibrous forage.
Sámi people : The Sámi are an Indigenous people of Sápmi, a region spanning northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Reindeer herding is central to the livelihoods and cultural practices of many Sámi communities.
Sled dog : A sled dog is a dog bred or trained to pull a sled over snow or ice. Sled dogs and reindeer represent different animal-powered transport traditions in Arctic regions.
Arctic amplification : Arctic amplification is the faster warming of the Arctic compared with the global average. Rapid regional warming alters snow, vegetation, and seasonal conditions across reindeer range.
Arctic tundra : The Arctic tundra is a treeless biome with frozen soils, low-growing vegetation, and short summers. Tundra provides summer forage and calving habitat for many reindeer herds.
Hemicellulose : Hemicellulose is a group of complex carbohydrates found in plant cell walls. Reindeer gut microbes help break down cell-wall material in their plant diet.
Nenets people : The Nenets are an Indigenous people of northern Russia, with communities across the Arctic and subarctic. Nenets pastoralists maintain extensive reindeer herding traditions across tundra landscapes.
Reindeer meat : Reindeer meat is the edible flesh of Rangifer tarandus, consumed in northern Eurasia and North America. Meat is one of the principal products obtained from managed reindeer and hunted caribou.
Climate change in the Arctic : Climate change in the Arctic includes long-term shifts in temperature, sea ice, snow, and ecosystems. Thaw, rain-on-snow events, and shifting vegetation can change access to reindeer forage.
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