[Species]

Caribou

Inuktitut name - Tuktu (Tuktu also means Deer)

Colour - dark chocolate brown body; whitish on neck, rump, and above each hoof

Length - 2.4 metres; 1.1-1.2 metres at shoulders

Shape- a terrestrial grazing animal with very long antlers that project forward toward nose, shaggy belly, large feet, and rounded hoofs

Behaviour - in spring, will cross wide channels (certainly up to 10 km) to get from the mainland to islands with favourable grazing, or to get from island to island

Distribution - usually found on tundra; migrates in large herds (sometimes tens of thousands of animals); when moving between grazing areas it can be found in the waters of inter-island channels of the southern part of the Arctic Archipelago

Sensitivity - when on the ice, they would be sensitive to disturbances by ships and aircrafts; if they exhibited a panic response, they could injure themselves on rough ice; also, the ability of caribou to cross refrozen ship's tracks is unknown

Note - The Peary Caribou is one of four subspecies of caribou found in Canada. All are very difficult to distinguish from each other. The Barren-Ground Caribou lives in the western portion of the Northwest Territories, primarily on the mainland, but also on Southampton Island, Coats Island, and Baffin Island. It is sometimes found in the waters of Hudson Strait and Foxe Basin. It lives primarily on tundra, and moves into muskegs and coniferous forests in winter. The other two subspecies are not seen in the marine areas of the Canadian Arctic: the Woodland Caribou is found in the mountains of the Canadian Cordillera; the Grant's Caribou is found in Alaska and the Yukon.

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