Reindeer or Caribou—What’s the Difference?

Everyone’s familiar with reindeer, largely thanks to their association with Christmastime and a certain jolly, white-bearded fellow and his sleigh. But what about caribou?

Caribou are large members of the deer kind that live in northern North America. Both males and females sport an impressive set of antlers; wide, hair-covered hooves for gripping the snow; and a large, hairy nose. If that description sounds rather like how you would describe a reindeer . . . well, that’s because they’re the same species!

That’s right—reindeer and caribou are both Rangifer tarandus. If the animal grazes in a herd in Europe, it’s colloquially called a reindeer. But if the animal is scraping lichens off a tree in an old-growth forest in North America, it’s referred to as a caribou (unless the caribou is from a domesticated herd—then it’s called a reindeer here in North America). So reindeer and caribou are one and the same.

Of course, there are differences in behavior due to the varying habitats of Northern Europe and the North American arctic and sub-arctic. For example, caribou are famous for their “super-herd” migrations where small herds form massive herds in the spring to follow their food sources. These migrations are among the largest of any land mammal. Reindeer, on the other hand, migrate minimally, tending to stay in the same area throughout the year.

Reindeer are the only deer species to be truly domesticated, and they’ve been used for centuries as beasts of burden and for their meat, milk, and hides.

We met two adorable little reindeer recently at a local Christmas event. They were so cute!

Now, many people think of reindeer in association with Christmas. But Christmas is all about Jesus! It’s a wonderful celebration of the truth that Jesus came as truly God and truly man to live a perfect life, die for our sins, and rise from the dead. Wow! What a wonderful truth to celebrate all year and especially this time of year.

Well, we’re off on another adventure. Until next time, remember what Christmas is really about:

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:10-12).

P.S. You can “meet” reindeer along with wildlife filmmaker Peter Schriemer in “Wild Winter,” the newest episode of the awesome nature show Hike & Seek, a God-glorifying nature program produced by Answers in Genesis and streaming now on Answers TV. You can ask your parents to help you check this show out at Answers TV.