U of C professor cracks the Caribou vs. Reindeer debate
Posted Dec 15, 2013 11:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
This time of year can bring people to question the difference between caribou and reindeer.
Marco Musiani, a professor at the University of Calgary and co-author of an analysis of the breeds, said the Canadian breed, which we call caribou, is actually pretty close to the northern European reindeer.
“The caribou that we have in north America also has reindeer DNA, this was unexpected,” said Musiani.
Unfortunately that isn’t the full answer to the caribou vs. reindeer question.
Musiani said there is another type of caribou in North America, mainly in southern forests, that is less reindeer-like.
He said this breed is in danger of losing its home.
“Due to climate change, that second typical North American caribou, our prediction is that they will suffer even more in the next 70 years.”
Musiani said, in his study of climate change, these caribou are starting to lose the lichen-rich environments on which they rely.
