Peary Caribou

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Rangifer tarandus pearyi 

     The Peary caribou, smaller and lighter than the barren-ground caribou, lives in small herds on the arctic islands. Though Peary caribou regularly move between summer and winter ranges and may travel between islands over the winter ice, they do not make the spectacular migrations for which the barren-ground caribou are well-known. 
     A thick white coat of hollow hairs provides good insulation from the arctic climate. To obtain food in winter, caribou dig feeding craters in the snow by pawing down to the vegetation below with their broad hoofs. The antlers of the Peary caribou grow swiftly each year, and may double the height of an adult male before  growth ends in the fall.  After the fuzzy velvet is stripped off (sometimes in sparring matches which precede the rut), the antlers of both males and females become a pure, shining white