Features

Caribou Features

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are a subspecies of caribou and differ in form, distribution and status from the barren ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) of the tundra.
Two forms (or ecotypes) of woodland caribou exist in Alberta, the boreal woodland caribou and the mountain woodland caribou.

Mountain woodland caribou are distinguished by their seasonal migratory behaviour between foothills ecosites and higher elevation sub-alpine forests.
whereas boreal woodland caribou prefer lowland areas in the more northerly and eastern parts of their range and are more sedentary.

Lichens found only in old-growth forests – that is, mature stands of spruce and pine 80-150 years old – constitute 70 percent of the caribou’s diet. Caribou avoid recently cut seismic lines and logged areas.
Woodland caribou are slow to mature and have low fecundity. Females are able to breed after 2.5 years and only have one calf per year.
Current population estimates of woodland caribou in the province are 2,500 to 4,200.

: Woodland caribou (Mountain ecotype) in Jasper National Park, by Paul Sutherland

Under Alberta's Wildlife Act, the woodland caribou is designated a 'threatened' species, due to their low numbers and the decline in their distribution resulting from direct habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.
Woodland Caribou are a species endemic to North America with historical ranges from the Rocky Mountains to Newfoundland and north into Alaska and the northern territories of Canada. However, the current distribution has shrunk dramatically in the US northeast and populations are only found in Washington, Idaho, across Canada and into the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska.
The boreal variety of caribou exist across Canada (NT, BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL) and are listed as threatened throughout by the federal government. The mountain variety exist only in the western provinces and territories but scientists treat them as separate northern (BC, YT, NT) and southern (BC, AB) populations.
The Queen Charlotte Islands population of woodland caribou in British Columbia is extinct.
The Gaspe population of woodland caribou in Quebec are listed as endangered.
Southern populations of mountain woodland caribou are most in need of protection with range declines of 40 percent throughout British Columbia and Alberta, where they have been listed as a nationally threatened species since 2000.
Alberta populations of woodland caribou have been in decline since the 1920's. Provincial biologists and the conservation community have urged for adequate protection since that time.