Caribou and reindeer are almost identical, sharing the same genus and species name. It wasn't until about 2,000 years ago that they were domesticated in Eurasia became what we know as the modern day reindeer. Originally, caribou natively populated Alaska long before reindeer were introduced from Siberia by a missionary in 1892.
Over a period of about 60 years, Inupiat communities were trained to herd them, through apprenticeship programs. After reaching peak popularity in the 1930s, the practice of reindeer herding has since declined, and today all reindeer on the Seward Peninsula are managed by about 20 herders. The free-ranging herds can occasionally be seen grazing in the coastal areas of the preserve, or throughout the tundra near the villages.
Although they look almost identical, caribou can be identified by having longer legs and leaner bodies than reindeer. Reindeer are typically more sedentary, have thicker fur, and some may have white or patchy markings.
Reindeer vs Caribou
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 Caribou and reindeer are the same species and share the same scientific name, Rangifer tarandus. Caribou are what the species is called in North America and reindeer are what they are called in Eurasia.
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Caribou and reindeer are the same species and share the same scientific name, Rangifer tarandus. Caribou are what the species is called in North America and reindeer are what they are called in Eurasia.  Caribou—a type of deer closely related to reindeer—are intimately connected to their Arctic environment, which is experiencing rapid climate change. These animals are notoriously hard to study, but new video camera collars put the spotlight on how they’re responding.  Read a summary and get the link to a published paper that describes how caribou decide where to spend the winter based on previous experience. Gurarie, E., C. Beaupré, O. Couriot, M. D. Cameron, W. F. Fagan, and K. Joly. 2024. Evidence for an adaptive, large-scale range shift in a long-distance terrestrial migrant. Global Change Biology 30 (11): e17589.  Read a summary and get a link to a published paper on how caribou and wolves respond to severe winter storms and how diverse landscape features provided some protection: Prugh, L. R., J. D. Lundquist, B. K. Sullender, C. X. Cunningham, J. Dechow, B. L. Borg, P. J. Sousanes, S. Stehn, and M. T. Furand. 2024. Landscape heterogeneity buffers the impact of an extreme weather event on wildlife. Communications Biology 7(1515).  Read a summary and get the link to a published article on caribou migration. Joly, K., M. D. Cameron, and R. G. White. In press. Behavioral adaptation to seasonal resource scarcity by Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and its role in partial migration. Journal of Mammalogy.  The Onion Portage Archeological District National Historic Landmark is on the Kobuk River in the Kobuk Valley National Park. For 8000 years, people camped, made tools, prepared game, and eventually settled at Onion Portage. The 2024 federal subsistence hunt for the Chisana caribou herd was announced by Wrangell-St. Elias Superintendent Ben Bobowski, the designated federal manager for the hunt. Consistent with the cooperative management plan for the herd, the harvest quota is 6 bull caribou. The hunt will open on August 10 and close on September 30 or when the quota has been reached.  Read a summary and get the link to an article about caribou foraging: Ehlers, L., E. Palm, J. Herriges, T. Bentzen, M. Suitor, K. Joly, J. Millspaugh, P. Donnelly, J. Gross, J. Wells, B. Larue, and M. Hebblewhite. 2024. A taste of space: Remote animal observations and discrete-choice models provide new insights into foraging and density dynamics for a large subarctic herbivore. Journal of Animal Ecology 93(7): 891-905.  Read the abstract and get the link to a published article on detecting icing events in: Bartsch, A., H. Bergstedt, G. Pointner, X. Muri, K. Rautiainen, L. Leppänen, K. Joly, A. Sokolov, P. Orekhov, D. Ehrich, and E. M. Soininen. 2023. Towards long-term records of rain-on-snow events across the Arctic from satellite data. The Cryosphere 17(2): 889-915.  Desperation Lake is located near the northern border of Noatak National Preserve and to the northwest of Feniak Lake. This area draws hunters and backpackers alike.
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