Caribou

A group of caribou in the boreal forest.
A small group of caribou in Denali National Park and Preserve.

NPS/Jay Elhard

There are 32 caribou herds in Alaska, with an estimated population of around 750,000. Changes in weather conditions (among other factors) cue their migration. They move from boreal forest areas in the winter to open or coastal tundra areas in the spring for calving. They can cover up to 50 miles a day during migration. Some migration routes have been used for many years, but routes may change suddenly or over time due to food availablity. Many people in Alaska rely on caribou for subsistence.

Also see:
A wilderness Treasure Hunt Unlocks Caribou Secrets, Park Science, Winter 2021
a herd of caribou
Complexity of Caribou Dynamics

Read more about the complexity of caribou population dynamics in a changing climate.

A caribou with calf in the snow.
Monitoring Caribou in the Arctic Network

Caribou are part of the history, traditions, and culture of the Arctic.

Two bull caribou in fall.
Monitoring Caribou in Central Alaska.

Four herds of caribou are found in the Central Alaska parks: Denali, Mentasta, Chisana, and Fortymile.

Learn about caribou in Alaska

Showing results 1-10 of 19

  • Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve

    The Great Video Reveal: Emerging Tech Tracks What Caribou Do

    • Locations: Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    Looping 2 second clip of looking up from below a caribou

    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.

  • Memory influences where Western Arctic Herd caribou spend the winter

    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    • Offices: Arctic Inventory & Monitoring Network
    View from a caribou collar

    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.

  • Influences on caribou foraging dynamics

    • Locations: Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    • Offices: Central Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network
    A group of caribou foraging in subarctic alpine.

    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.

  • When are newly collared caribou representative of the herd?

    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    A collared caribou bounds away.

    Read the abstract and get the link to a paper published in the Wildlife Bulletin about representativeness among collared animals in a population: Prichard, A. K., K. Joly, L. S. Parrett, M. D. Cameron, D. A. Hansen, and B. T. Person. 2022. Achieving a representative sample of marked animals: A spatial approach to evaluating post-capture randomization. Wildlife Society Bulletin e1398.

  • Predicting Seasonal Distributions and Migratory Routes of Western Arctic Herd Caribou

    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    The western arctic caribou herd along the Kobuk River.

    Read the abstract and get the link for an article on caribou migration patterns published in Movement Ecology: Baltensperger, A. P., and K. Joly. 2019. Using seasonal landscape models to predict space use and migratory patterns of an arctic ungulate. Movement Ecology 7 (18). DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0162-8.

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Large Mammals in Denali: How Many Are There?

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    six sheet in front of a large glacier and mountains

    Science Summary (2014) - Check out a yearly update of population estimates for "the Big Five" species of Denali - wolves, caribou, Dall sheep, moose and bears.

  • Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve

    How do caribou decide when to migrate in the fall?

    • Locations: Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
    Caribou running through tundra in the fall.

    Read a summary and link to a published paper that describes the factors that determine caribou fall migration. Cameron, M. D., J. M. Eisaguirre, G. A. Breed, K. Joly, and K. Kielland. 2021. Mechanistic movement models identify continuously updated autumn migration cues in Arctic caribou. Movement Ecology 9(54): 12 pp.

  • Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve

    Nunamiut: The Caribou People

    • Locations: Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
    1967 Simon Paneak drawing of a hunter in a qayaq spearing caribou as they cross a river

    In Northern Alaska, people and caribou have lived in a close, intricate relationship for at least 11,000 years. Caribou have been vitally important for the survival of all native people whose homelands are now partially encompassed by Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. For some tribes, caribou is just part of a diet which also includes other game, fish and marine mammals. But for the Nunamiut Eskimos, caribou is by far the single most important food source.

  • Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve

    Nunamiut Caribou Skin Clothing and Tents

    • Locations: Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
    Nunamiut ice fisherman wearing caribou skin parka, pants, and boots

    Inland mountain Eskimos experience one of the world’s most extreme winter climates—temperatures of 55 degrees below zero or colder, often with gale force winds and blinding snow. Despite these daunting conditions, Eskimo people carry on with their daily life of hunting, fishing, gathering firewood, traveling, and camping. The key to their success and survival—above all else—is warm, effective, brilliantly designed and expertly made clothing.

  • Caribou: Did You Know?

    • Locations: Alaska Public Lands, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Iñupiat Heritage Center, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    Bull caribou in the Brooks Range mountains of Alaska

    Did you know facts and life history about the Western Arctic Caribou Herd of northwest Alaska

Tags: caribou alaska park science arctic wildlife caribou migration science
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Last updated: January 2, 2024

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