Caribou are found in the tundra areas of the Arctic, northern tundra mountains, and the forests of North America, Scandinavia and Siberia. For thousands of years caribou have been an important part of the Alaskan fauna and have played a vital role in the existence of the indigenous populations of the northern tundra and forest areas, including Alaska.

In Europe caribou are called reindeer. However in Alaska it is only the domestic caribou that are called reindeer. Throughout the world all caribou and reindeer are considered to be the same species. Alaska has only the barren-ground subspecies. Barren -ground caribou generally inhabit the arctic tundra and the open tundra land close to, or above tree-line. During the winter they are often found in the forests where they return for shelter and food during the harsh winter months.

Caribou are members of the deer family, although much larger than most deer species. They have excellent tools for snow and tundra. Their large concave hooves spread apart with a snow-shoe effect to support their large bodies in snow or on the soft summer tundra. These large hooves become paddles during long swims across rivers. Caribou are unique within the deer family because both females and males grow antlers. The antlers of mature bulls are massive and heavy.

Caribou are true nomads. They migrate several hundred miles from their winter grounds to a traditional calving area. Then as the summer turns into fall they begin the long migration with their calves back to their wintering grounds. The migration of the various herds have taken place for hundreds of years and generation after generation follow the same inborn instincts. Bill and Helen Thayer will walk with the Western Arctic herd throughout its season of travel to document and photograph this natural migration. You can follow the adventure and witness the drama here on the GOALS website.

There are approximately 25 distinct caribou herds in Alaska. The definition of a herd is when a group establishes a certain calving area apart from all other herds and travels there year after year to calve.

The various herd populations fluctuate over the years. The Western Arctic caribou herd is the world's largest at almost 500,000 members and is presently increasing in number.

Each caribou may dig dozens of craters in the snow daily to find the 5 or 6 pounds of food it needs. Because of these craters, the Micmac Indians of Eastern Canada called the animal "xalibu", meaning "the one who paws", and from this came the name caribou.