🌿Native Nature

Caribou

Rangifer tarandus

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia ›Phylum: Chordata ›Class: Mammalia ›Order: Artiodactyla ›Family: Cervidae ›Genus: Rangifer

About

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as caribou in North America, is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. This includes both sedentary and migratory populations. Rangifer herd size varies greatly in different geographic regions. The Taimyr herd of migrating tundra reindeer (R.t. sibiricus) in Russia is the largest wild reindeer herd in the world, with numbers varying between 400,000...

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scientific name of Caribou?
The scientific name of Caribou is Rangifer tarandus.
What is the conservation status of Caribou?
The Caribou has a conservation status of Vulnerable.
What kingdom does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the kingdom Animalia.
What phylum does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the phylum Chordata.
What class does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the class Mammalia.
What order does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the order Artiodactyla.
What family does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the family Cervidae.
What genus does Caribou belong to?
Caribou belongs to the genus Rangifer.

In the News

As Canada eyes Arctic road expansion, Indigenous guardians race to understand caribou

For years, Wayne Mercredi spent hours driving the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road. Leaving early in the morning to take advantage of limited daylight, he’d travel the road’s 400-kilometer length (250-mile length) — built atop frozen lakes, to connect the territorial capital of Yellowknife to diamond mines farther north — before turning around at the […]

Mongabay · 6/23/2026

Alaska wildlife agents can kill bears to protect caribou, judge rules

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A judge says Alaska wildlife agents can resume shooting and killing bears as part of a plan to help recover a herd of caribou that was once an important source of food for Alaska Native hunters. Two conservation groups sought to halt the program while they challenged its legality. They argue […]

Mongabay · 5/8/2026