Learn About Caribou: Educational Video / ESL Listening Lesson - Iconic Canadian Animals (Reindeer)

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Here is some information about caribou:
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Caribou are mammals that are native to the northern regions of Canada. Like all mammals, they are warm-blooded, covered with fur, and feed their babies milk. They are also ungulates. An ungulate is a mammal with hooves, such as horses, pigs, deer and buffalo. The caribou body is short and strong, which allows it to easily conserve heat during the winter. The noun caribou has no plural form. This means that we can say ‘one caribou’, and ‘ten caribou’. Caribou usually weigh 300 kg and can live for 10 - 15 years. A group of caribou is called a herd. The average lifespan of a caribou is 15 years.
In Russia and Scandinavia, people call ‘caribou’ ‘reindeer’, but reindeer and caribou are the same species.
The caribou’s feet are called hooves and they are large and hollowed out. This means that they can use their hooves to pick up, or scoop up, a plant called lichen. Lichen is an important food source, especially during the winter months. Caribou can dig up lichen from underneath the thick winter snow. Caribou are so tough, that they can easily withstand the harsh and frigid climate of the arctic tundra. During the summer months, they have trouble dealing with insects, which like to nest in their fur.
The caribou is the only species of deer wherein both males and females grow antlers. They don’t look exactly the same, though - the female’s antlers are shorter than the male’s. Male caribou shed their antlers after mating season, which is in November or December. Females, however, will carry their antlers until June. They use their antlers to defend themselves and their babies.
Caribou live all across Canada in all the northern provinces, except for the maritime provinces.
Caribou are epic travellers; they make one of the world’s greatest large-animal migrations. As summer approaches, they travel north on familiar routes. Some herds may travel more than 600 miles to reach their summer homes. They travel north during the summer because, after the snow has melted, the arctic tundra has abundant plant life. In the winter, the caribou travel south to avoid the extremely cold temperatures. They spend the winter in less harsh conditions and feed on lichen.
The caribou’s natural predators are humans, wolverines, lynx, wolves, bears and even golden eagles! It is difficult to catch a caribou, though, as they can run up to 50 miles an hour.
Caribou are in danger, as recent studies show that of the 51 herds that live in Canada, at least 20 are in decline, and none are growing. Their official classification is ‘vulnerable to extinction’. Because they make huge migrations, changes in the landscape and climate drastically affect their population. As the arctic warms, they also become much more susceptible to diseases and parasites. These diseases can easily spread through a herd because they live so close together. I hope you enjoyed learning about caribou today, see you next time!
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Thank you for watching and good luck studying.
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