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|nome=Renna
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|statocons_ref=<ref name=IUCN>{{IUCN|summ=29742|autore=Black, P., González, S. (Deer Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) 2008}}</ref>
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|genereautore=[[Charles Hamilton Smith|Smith]]
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La '''renna''' ('''''Rangifer tarandus'''''), nota in [[Nordamerica]] come '''caribù''', è un [[mammifero]] [[artiodattilo]] della [[Famiglia (tassonomia)|famiglia]] dei [[Cervidae|Cervidi]] che abita le regioni [[Artico|artiche]] e [[Clima subartico|subartiche]] con popolazioni sia stanziali che [[Migrazione|migratrici]]. Sebbene sia molto diffusa e numerosa<ref name=IUCN/>, alcune sue [[sottospecie]] sono piuttosto rare e una di esse (o due, a seconda della [[tassonomia]]) è già [[Estinzione|estinta]]<ref name=HighArctic>Peter Gravlund, Morten Meldgaard, Svante Pääbo, and Peter Arctander: Polyphyletic Origin of the Small-Bodied, High-Arctic Subspecies of Tundra Reindeer (''Rangifer tarandus''). MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION Vol. 10, No. 2, October, pp. 151–159, 1998 ARTICLE NO. FY980525. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNH-45KV7VD-1&_user=616145&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=616145&md5=8058d4f00ee37488dc961116298c0a14 online]</ref><ref name=dawsoni>S. A. Byun, B. F. Koop, and T. E. Reimchen: ''Evolution of the Dawson caribou (''Rangifer tarandus dawsoni'')''. Can. J. Zool. 80(5): 956–960 (2002). doi:10.1139/z02-062. 2002 NRC Canada. [http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rparticle/AbstractTemplateServlet?journal=cjz&volume=80&year=&issue=&msno=z02-062&calyLang=eng online]</ref>.
Le renne variano considerevolmente in colore e dimensioni<ref name=size>''[http://www.answers.com/topic/reindeer-1 Reindeer.]''{{Dead link|date=November 2010}} [[Answers.com]]</ref> ed entrambi i sessi presentano [[palchi]], sebbene questi ultimi siano più sviluppati nei maschi; in alcune popolazioni, tuttavia, le femmine sono completamente prive di palchi<ref name=antlers>''[http://www.answers.com/topic/new-world-deer-capriolinae-biological-family New World Deer (Capriolinae).]''{{Dead link|date=November 2010}} [[Answers.com]]</ref>.
La caccia alle renne selvatiche e l'allevamento di renne semi-[[Addomesticamento|domestiche]] (per carne, pelle, palchi, latte e trasporto) sono attività molto importanti per alcuni popoli artici e subartici<ref name=Burch>"In North America and Eurasia the species has long been an important resource--in many areas ''the'' most important resource--for peoples inhabiting the northern boreal forest and tundra regions. Known human dependence on caribou/wild reindeer has a long history, beginning in the Middle Pleistocene (Banfield 1961:170; Kurtén 1968:170) and continuing to the present....The caribou/wild reindeer is thus an animal that has been a major resource for humans throughout a tremendous geographic area and across a time span of tens of thousands of years." Ernest S. Burch, Jr. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7316%28197207%2937%3A3%3C339%3ATCRAAH%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage The Caribou/Wild Reindeer as a Human Resource.] ''American Antiquity'', Vol. 37, No. 3 (Jul., 1972), pp. 339-368.</ref>. Perfino nelle zone lontane dal suo areale questo animale è ben conosciuto, grazie al ben consolidato mito, originatosi probabilmente in America agli inizi del XIX secolo, della slitta di [[Babbo Natale]] trainata da renne volanti, caratteristico elemento [[Natale|natalizio]] ormai da moltissimi anni<ref>http://icr.arcticportal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142:flying-reindeer-and-santa-claus-&catid=2:feature-archive&Itemid=7</ref>. Ancora oggi, in [[Lapponia]], le renne vengono utilizzate per trainare le slitte<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/diehtu/siida/reindeer/Reindeer/reindeer_main.html The Sámi and their reindeer] — University of Texas at Austin</ref>.
==Distribuzione e habitat==
[[Image:Rentier fws 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Un grosso maschio di renna]]
La renna è una specie numerosa e largamente diffusa nelle regioni [[olartico|olartiche]] settentrionali, essendo presente sia nella [[tundra]] che nella [[taiga]] (foresta boreale)<ref name=walker>Novak, R. M. (editor) (1999). ''Walker's Mammals of the World.'' Vol. 2. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Pp. 1128-1130. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9</ref>. Originariamente, la renna viveva in [[Scandinavia]], [[Europa]] orientale, [[Russia]], [[Mongolia]] e [[Cina]] settentrionale, a nord del 50° parallelo. In Nordamerica, era diffusa in [[Canada]], [[Alaska]] ([[USA]]) e nelle regioni più settentrionali degli USA, dallo [[Washington (stato)|Stato di Washington]] al [[Maine]]. Nel XIX secolo era ancora presente nell'[[Idaho]] meridionale. Viveva anche a [[Sakhalin]], in [[Groenlandia]] e, probabilmente anche in tempi storici, in [[Irlanda]]. Alla fine del [[Pleistocene]], le renne si spingevano a sud fino al [[Nevada]] e al [[Tennessee]] in Nordamerica e alla [[Spagna]] in Europa<ref name=walker/><ref>Sommer R. S. and Nadachowski A.: ''Glacial refugia of mammals in Europe: evidence from fossil records.'' Mammal Rev. 2006, Volume 36, No. 4, 251-265.</ref>. Oggi, le renne selvatiche sono scomparse da molte aree del loro areale storico, specialmente nelle sue regioni meridionali, dove sono scomparse quasi ovunque. Numerose popolazioni di renne selvatiche, tuttavia, sono ancora presenti in [[Norvegia]], nella regione di Markku in [[Finlandia]], [[Svezia]], [[Siberia]], [[Groenlandia]], [[Alaska]] e [[Canada]].
[[Image:RangiferTarandus.jpg|thumb|left|Southernmost reindeer: a [[South Georgia]]n reindeer with velvet-covered antlers]]
Le renne [[Addomesticamento|domestiche]] sono diffuse soprattutto in [[Fennoscandia]] settentrionale e Russia; una mandria di circa 150-170 capi vive nella regione dei [[Cairngorm|Cairngorms]], in [[Scozia]]. Le ultime popolazioni selvatiche di renne della tundra si incontrano in alcune parti della [[Norvegia]] meridionale<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4491 Europe's last wild reindeer herds in peril]</ref>.
Alcune renne provenienti dalla Norvegia furono introdotte nella [[Georgia del Sud e isole Sandwich meridionali|Georgia Australe]], un'isola dell'Atlantico meridionale, agli inizi del XX secolo. Oggi sull'isola si trovano ancora due mandrie di questi animali, perennemente separate tra loro dai [[Ghiacciaio|ghiacciai]]. Il loro numero totale non supera il migliaio di capi. L'immagine di questo animale compare anche sulla [[bandiera]] e sullo [[stemma]] del Territorio. Circa 4000 renne furono introdotte inoltre nell'arcipelago subantartico francese delle [[Isole Kerguelen]]. Una piccola mandria di circa 2500-3000 capi vive nelle regioni orientali dell'[[Islanda]]<ref>''[http://www.internationaladventure.com/iceland/reindeer.html Reindeer Hunting in Iceland.]'' International Adventure. Accessed 12 November 2010.</ref>.
Il numero dei caribù e delle renne ha sempre subito fluttuazioni in passato, ma oggi molte popolazioni sono in grave diminuzione in tutto l'areale della specie<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8094000/8094036.stm BBC Earth News-Reindeer herds in global decline]</ref>. Le popolazioni di renne e caribù più settentrionali, dalle abitudini migratorie, stanno diminuendo sempre più a causa degli effetti dovuti ai [[Mutamento climatico|mutamenti climatici]], mentre la sopravvivenza delle popolazioni stanziali di caribù è messa a repentaglio dall'inquinamento causato dalle industrie<ref name=Vors>Vors & Boyce. [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122380516/abstract Global declines of caribou and reindeer]. ''[[Global Change Biology]]'' Volume 15 Issue 11, Pages 2626 - 2633, Published Online: 9 May 2009</ref>.
==Descrizione==
===Dimensioni===
[[Image:Spitsbergen reindeer01.jpg|thumb|right|The characteristically small and relatively short-legged reindeer from [[Svalbard]]]]
Le femmine di solito misurano 162-205 cm di lunghezza e pesano 79-120 kg<ref name=size/><ref name=Alaska>[http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/caribou.php Caribou at the Alaska Department of Fish & Game]</ref>. I maschi, generalmente, sono più grandi (sebbene le loro dimensioni varino a seconda delle sottospecie): misurano 180-214 cm di lunghezza e 92-210 kg di peso; in casi eccezionali alcuni esemplari notevolmente sviluppati hanno raggiunto i 318 kg<ref name=size/><ref name=Alaska/>. L'altezza al garrese è di 85-150 cm e la coda è lunga 14-20 cm<ref name=size/>. La sottospecie ''R. t. platyrhynchus'', delle [[Isole Svalbard]], è molto piccola se paragonata ad altre sottospecie (fenomeno, questo, noto come [[nanismo insulare]]): le femmine misurano circa 150 cm di lunghezza e pesano intorno ai 53 kg in primavera e ai 70 kg in autunno<ref name=Svalbard>Aanes, R. (2007). ''[http://npweb.npolar.no/english/arter/svalbardrein Svalbard reindeer.]'' [[Norwegian Polar Institute]].</ref>. I maschi, invece, sono lunghi all'incirca 160 cm e pesano attorno ai 65 kg in primavera e ai 90 kg in autunno<ref name=Svalbard/>. Le renne delle Svalbard hanno anche zampe relativamente più corte e un'altezza al garrese che non supera gli 80 cm<ref name=size/><ref name=Svalbard/>, così come stabilito dalla [[regola di Allen]]. Le renne [[Addomesticamento|domestiche]] hanno zampe più corte e costituzione più pesante delle loro cugine selvatiche.
===Mantello===
Il colore del [[Pelo|mantello]] varia considerevolmente, sia da un esemplare all'altro che a seconda delle stagioni e della sottospecie. Le popolazioni settentrionali, solitamente di dimensioni minori, hanno un mantello dai toni più bianchi, mentre quelle meridionali, di dimensioni maggiori, hanno mantelli più scuri. Questa caratteristica si può vedere bene in Nordamerica, dove la sottospecie più settentrionale, il [[Rangifer tarandus pearyi|caribù di Peary]], è quella con il mantello più bianco, oltre che la più piccola sottospecie del continente, mentre la sottospecie più meridionale, il [[Rangifer tarandus caribou|caribù dei boschi]], è la più scura e la più grande<ref name=NorthAmerica>Reid, F. (2006). ''Mammals of North America.'' Peterson Field Guides. ISBN 978-0-395-93596-5</ref>. Il manto è costituito da due strati di pelo, un folto sottopelo [[Lana|lanoso]] e uno strato di peli più lunghi, cavi e pieni d'aria.
===Palchi===
[[Image:ReindeerLoosingVelvet.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Reindeer antlers grow again each year under a layer of fur called velvet. This reindeer is losing the velvet layer on one of its antlers.]]
Nella maggior parte delle popolazioni entrambi i sessi sono muniti di [[palchi]]<ref name=antlers/>, i quali (nella varietà della Scandinavia) cadono a dicembre nei maschi più anziani, all'inizio della primavera in quelli più giovani e d'estate nelle femmine. Generalmente i palchi sono costituiti da due gruppi separati di punte, uno inferiore, l'altro superiore. Le dimensioni dei palchi variano a seconda della sottospecie (ad esempio quelle più settentrionali hanno palchi più piccoli e sottili)<ref name=NorthAmerica/>; i palchi di alcune sottospecie sono superati per dimensioni solamente da quelli dell'[[Alces|alce]] e possono misurare fino a 100 cm di larghezza e 135 cm di lunghezza. Rispetto alle dimensioni del corpo, la renna è il Cervide con i palchi più grandi<ref name=antlers/>.
===Naso e zoccoli===
All'interno del naso della renna è presente un apparato di [[turbinati]] che accresce notevolmente la superficie interna delle narici. L'aria fredda proveniente dall'esterno viene riscaldata dal [[Termoregolazion|calore corporeo]] dell'animale prima di arrivare ai polmoni e l'acqua che si condensa con l'espirazione viene raccolta prima che l'animale termini il respiro: quest'acqua inumidisce l'aria inspirata e molto probabilmente viene anche assorbita nel sangue attraverso le [[Mucosa|mucose]] nasali.
Gli [[Zoccolo|zoccoli]] della renna si adattano ad ogni stagione: in estate, quando il terreno della tundra è soffice e umido, i cuscinetti plantari si comportano come una spugna e consentono una migliore aderenza. In inverno, invece, essi si restringono sempre più e rimane allo scoperto solamente l'estremità dello zoccolo, che penetra facilmente nel [[ghiaccio]] e nella [[neve]] impedendo all'animale di scivolare. This also enables them to dig down (an activity known as "cratering")<ref name=cratering>"In the winter, the fleshy pads on these toes grow longer and form a tough, hornlike rim. Caribou use these large, sharp-edged hooves to dig through the snow and uncover the lichens that sustain them in winter months. Biologists call this activity "cratering" because of the crater-like cavity the caribou’s hooves leave in the snow." [http://www.taiga.net/projectcaribou/pdf/allaboutcaribou.PDF All About Caribou] - Project Caribou</ref><ref name=cratering_image>[http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/stories/avkas/ry0246-32.htm Image of reindeer cratering in snow.]</ref> through the snow to their favorite food, a [[lichen]] known as [[Cladonia rangiferina|reindeer moss]]. The knees of many species of reindeer are adapted to produce a clicking sound as they walk.<ref name=clicking>Banfield AWF: '''The caribou'''. In ''The Unbelievable Land''. Edited by: Smith IN. Ottawa: Queen's Press; 1966:25-28, cited in [http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/6/47#B35 Knee-clicks and visual traits indicate fighting ability in eland antelopes: multiple messages and back-up signals], Jakob Bro-Jørgensen and Torben Dabelsteen, BMC Biology 2008, 6:47doi:10.1186/1741-7007-6-47</ref>
==Ecology and behavior==
=== Diet ===
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[[File:Reindeer licking salt from roadway.jpg|thumb|Caribou licking salt from roadway in [[British Columbia]]]]
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[[File:Caribou using antlers.jpg|thumb|The size of the antlers play a significant role in establishing the hierarchy in the group<ref name=walker/>]]
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[[File:Caribou Thelon River 1978.jpg|thumb|A herd of [[barren-ground caribou]] at the [[Thelon River]]. This subspecies is a long-distance migrant.<ref name=NorthAmerica/>]]
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Reindeer are [[ruminant]]s, having a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat [[lichen]]s in winter, especially reindeer moss. However, they also eat the leaves of [[willow]]s and [[birch]]es, as well as [[Cyperaceae|sedge]]s and [[grass]]es. There is some evidence to suggest that on occasion, they will also feed on [[lemming]]s,<ref>[http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=91 Lemmings] at [[Hinterland Who's Who]]</ref> [[arctic char]], and [[egg (biology)|bird eggs]].<ref>Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut by Ingrid Anand-Wheeler. ISBN 1-55325-035-4.</ref> Reindeer herded by the [[Chukchi people|Chukchis]] have been known to devour mushrooms enthusiastically in late summer.<ref>[http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol32/siimets.pdf ''The Sun, the Moon and Firmament in Chukchi Mythology and on the Relations of Celestial Bodies and Sacrifice'' by Ülo Siimets at 140]</ref>
===Reproduction===
Mating occurs from late September to early November. Males battle for access to females. Two males will lock each other's antlers together and try to push each other away. The most dominant males can collect as many as 15-20 females to mate with. A male will stop eating during this time and lose much of its body reserves.
Calves may be born the following May or June. After 45 days, the calves are able to graze and forage but continue suckling until the following autumn and become independent from their mothers.
===Migration===
Some populations of the North American caribou [[Animal migration|migrate]] the furthest of any terrestrial mammal, traveling up to {{convert|5000|km|abbr=on}} a year, and covering {{convert|1000000|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref name=IUCN/><ref>[http://www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/english/wildlife/maps-caribou/ Caribou Migration Monitoring by Satellite Telemetry]</ref> Other populations (e.g., in Europe) have a shorter migration, and some, for example the subspecies ''R. t. pearsoni'' and ''R. t. platyrhynchus'' (both restricted to islands), are residents that only make local movements.
Normally travelling about {{convert|19|-|55|km|abbr=on}} a day while migrating, the caribou can run at speeds of {{convert|60|-|80|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=IUCN/> During the spring migration smaller herds will group together to form larger herds of 50,000 to 500,000 animals but during autumn migrations, the groups become smaller, and the reindeer begin to mate. During the winter, reindeer travel to forested areas to forage under the snow. By spring, groups leave their winter grounds to go to the calving grounds. A reindeer can swim easily and quickly, normally at {{convert|6.5|km/h|abbr=on}} but if necessary at {{convert|10|km/h|abbr=on}}, and migrating herds will not hesitate to swim across a large lake or broad river.<ref name=IUCN/>
===Predators===
There are a variety of predators that prey heavily on reindeer. [[Golden Eagle]]s prey on calves and are the most prolific hunter on calving grounds.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8314000/8314558.stm Eagles filmed hunting reindeer]</ref> [[Wolverine]] will take newborn calves or birthing cows, as well as (less commonly) infirm adults. [[Brown Bear]]s and (in the rare cases where they encounter each other) [[Polar bear]]s prey on reindeer of all ages but (as with the wolverine) are most likely to attack weaker animals such as calves and sick deer. The [[Gray Wolf]] is the most effective natural predator of adult reindeer, especially during the winter. As carrion, caribou are fed on by [[fox]]es, [[raven]]s and [[hawk]]s. Blood-sucking insects, such as [[Black fly|black flies]] and [[mosquito]]es, are a plague to reindeer during the summer and can cause enough stress to inhibit feeding and calving behaviors.<ref>[http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/caribou/Predators.html Caribou Foes: Natural Predators in the Wilderness]</ref> In one case, the entire body of a reindeer was found in a [[Greenland shark]] (possibly a case of [[scavenging]]),<ref>[http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/sharkpics/ellis/greenlan.htm Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus)]</ref> a species found in the far northern [[Atlantic]]. The population numbers of some of these predators is influenced by the migration of reindeer. During the Ice Ages, they faced [[Dire wolf|Dire wolves]], [[Cave lion]]s, [[American lion]]s, [[Short-faced bear]]s, [[Cave hyena]]s, [[Smilodon]]s, [[Jaguar]]s, [[Cougar]]s, and possibly the [[ground sloth]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}
==Subspecies==
[[Image:Mech 06.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Peary Caribou]] is a relatively small and pale subspecies found in the tundra of far northern North America. Unsurprisingly, it is part of the group known as Tundra reindeer.]]
Since 1961, reindeer have been divided into two major groups, the tundra reindeer with six subspecies and the woodland reindeer with three subspecies.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} Among the tundra subspecies are small-bodied, high-Arctic island forms. These island subspecies are probably not closely related, since the Svalbard Reindeer seems to have evolved from large European Reindeer, whereas Peary Caribou and the extinct Arctic Reindeer are closely related and probably evolved in high-Arctic North America.<ref name=HighArctic/>
The following list is partial, as four subspecies which are restricted to Russia and neighbouring regions have been left out. These are ''R. tarandus buskensis'', ''R. tarandus pearsoni'' ([[Novaya Zemlya]] Reindeer), ''R. tarandus phylarchus'' ([[Kamchatka]]/[[Sea of Okhotsk|Okhotsk]] Reindeer) and ''R. tarandus sibiricus'' ([[Siberia]]n Tundra Reindeer).<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Grubb|id=14200328}}</ref>
====Tundra reindeer====
* †'''[[Arctic Reindeer]]''' (''R. tarandus eogroenlandicus''), an [[Extinction|extinct]] [[subspecies]] found until 1900 in eastern [[Greenland]].
* '''[[Peary Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus pearyi''), found in the northern islands of the [[Nunavut]] and the Northwest Territories of Canada.
* '''[[Svalbard Reindeer]]''' (''R. tarandus platyrhynchus''), found on the [[Svalbard]] islands of [[Norway]], is the smallest subspecies of reindeer.
* '''[[Markku Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus vixaroonicus''), found in the Markku region of Finland.
* '''[[Mountain reindeer|Mountain/Wild Reindeer]]''' (''R. tarandus tarandus''), found in the Arctic tundra of Eurasia, including the Fennoscandia peninsula of northern Europe.
* '''[[Porcupine caribou|Porcupine Caribou]]''' or '''[[Porcupine caribou|Grant's Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus granti''), which are found in [[Alaska]], the [[Yukon]], and the [[Northwest Territories]] of Canada. Very similar to ''R. tarandus groenlandicus'', and probably better regarded as a [[junior synonym]] of that subspecies.<ref name=MSW3/><ref name=mtDNA>Cronin, M. A., M. D. Macneil, and J. C. Patton (2005). ''Variation in Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite DNA in Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in North America.'' Journal of Mammalogy 86(3): 495–505.</ref>
[[File:Rangifer tarandus Map NA.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|Approximate range of caribou subspecies in North America. Overlap is possible for contiguous range. Subspecies ''groenlandicus'' and ''pearyi'' mix on some arctic islands, and ''granti'' is probably a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''groenlandicus''. Populations here included in ''caribou'' are sometimes divided into four separate subspecies (see text)]]
* '''[[Barren-ground Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus groenlandicus''), found in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada and in western Greenland.
====Woodland reindeer====
* '''[[Finnish Forest Reindeer]]''' (''R. tarandus fennicus''), found in the wild in only two areas of the [[Fennoscandia|Fennoscandia peninsula]] of [[Northern Europe]], in Finnish/Russian [[Karelia]], and a small population in central south [[Finland]]. The Karelia population reaches far into Russia, however, so far that it remains an open question whether reindeer further to the east are ''R. t. fennicus'' as well.
* '''[[Migratory Woodland Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus caribou''), or '''Forest Caribou''', once found in the North American [[taiga]] (boreal forest) from Alaska to [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] and as far south as [[New England]], Idaho, and Washington. Woodland Caribou have disappeared from most of their original southern range and are considered [[Threatened species|threatened]] where they remain, with the notable exception of the Migratory Woodland Caribou of northern [[Quebec]] and [[Labrador]], Canada. The name of the [[Cariboo]] district of central [[British Columbia]] relates to their once-large numbers there, but they have almost vanished from that area in the last century. A herd is protected in the [[Caribou Mountains (Alberta)|Caribou Mountains]] in [[Alberta]]. The above quoted range includes ''R. tarandus caboti'' (Labrador Caribou), ''R. tarandus osborni'' (Osborn's Caribou – from British Columbia) and ''R. tarandus terraenovae'' (Newfoundland Caribou). Based on a review in 1961, these were considered invalid and included in ''R. tarandus caribou'', but some recent authorities have considered them all valid, even suggesting that they are quite distinct.<ref name=MSW3/><ref name=Geist>Geist, V. (2007). ''[http://www.ub.uit.no/baser/septentrio/index.php/rangifer/article/viewFile/315/295 Defining subspecies, invalid taxonomic tools, and the fate of the woodland caribou.]'' The Eleventh North American Caribou Workshop (2006). [[Rangifer (journal)|Rangifer]], Special Issue 17: 25-28.</ref> An analysis of [[mtDNA]] in 2005 found differences between the caribous from Newfoundland, Labrador, south-western Canada and south-eastern Canada, but maintained all in ''R. tarandus caribou''.<ref name=mtDNA/>
* †'''[[Queen Charlotte Islands Caribou]]''' (''R. tarandus dawsoni'') from the [[Queen Charlotte Islands]] was believed to represent a distinct subspecies. It became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century. However, recent [[DNA]] analysis from [[mitochondrial DNA]] of the remains from those reindeer suggest that the animals from the Queen Charlotte Islands were not genetically distinct from the Canadian mainland reindeer subspecies.<ref name=dawsoni/>
==Reindeer and humans==
===Hunting===
[[File:Caribouhighway.JPG|thumb|right|Reindeer are hunted in the area of the [[Denali Highway]] in Alaska during the autumn]]
{{See also|Reindeer hunting in Greenland}}
Reindeer hunting by humans has a very long history, and caribou/wild reindeer "may well be the species of single greatest importance in the entire anthropological literature on hunting."<ref name=Burch/>
Humans started hunting reindeer in the [[Mesolithic]] and [[Neolithic]] periods, and humans are today the main predator in many areas. Norway and Greenland have unbroken traditions of hunting wild reindeer from the [[ice age]] until the present day. In the non-forested mountains of central [[Norway]], such as [[Jotunheimen]], it is still possible to find remains of stone-built [[trapping pit]]s, guiding fences, and bow rests, built especially for hunting reindeer. These can, with some certainty, be dated to the [[Migration Period]], although it is not unlikely that they have been in use since the [[Stone Age]].
[[Norway]] is now preparing to apply for nomination as a [[World Heritage Site]] for areas with traces and traditions of reindeer hunting in [[Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park]], [[Reinheimen National Park]] and [[Rondane National Park]] in Central Sør-Norge ([[Southern Norway]]). There is in these parts of Norway an unbroken tradition of reindeer hunting from post-glacial stone age until today.
Wild caribou are still hunted in North America and Greenland. In the traditional lifestyle of the [[Inuit]] people, Northern [[First Nations]] people, [[Alaska Natives]], and the [[Kalaallit]] of Greenland, the caribou is an important source of food, clothing, shelter, and tools. Many [[Gwichʼin]] people, who depend on the [[Porcupine caribou]], still follow traditional caribou management practices that include a prohibition against selling caribou meat and limits on the number of caribou to be taken per hunting trip.<ref>[http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/anwrgwichin1.html Gwichʼin Traditional Management Practices]</ref>
The blood of the caribou was supposedly mixed with alcohol as drink by hunters and loggers in colonial Quebec to counter the cold. This drink is now enjoyed without the blood as a wine and whiskey drink known as ''[[Caribou (drink)|Caribou]]''.<ref>{{citation |first=Sébastien |last=Mieusset |title=Le "Temps des sucres" au Québec |url=http://www.cuisine.tv/cid6799/le-temps-des-sucres-au-quebec.html}}</ref><ref name=ass>{{citation|title=Quebec’s Carnaval is worth freezing your a** off for |first=Julie |last=Ovenell-Carter |date=06-02-2009 |publisher=theseboots.travel |url=http://theseboots.travel/2009/02/06/worth-repeating-quebecs-carnaval-is-worth-freezing-your-a-off-for/}}</ref>
===Reindeer husbandry===
[[Image:Archangel reindeer3.jpg|right|thumb|A reindeer sled, [[Arkhangelsk]], [[Russia]]. Late nineteenth-century [[photochrom]].]]
[[Image:Reindeer milking.jpg|thumb|right|Milking reindeer in the 19th century]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-119-0413-32, Norwegen, deutscher Soldat, Einheimischer.jpg|thumb|Reindeer [[fur coat]]]]
Reindeer have been [[Herding|herded]] for centuries by several Arctic and Subarctic people including the [[Sami people|Sami]] and the [[Nenets people|Nenets]]. They are raised for their meat, hides, antlers and, to a lesser extent, for milk and transportation. Reindeer are not considered fully domesticated, as they generally roam free on pasture grounds. In traditional nomadic herding, reindeer herders migrate with their herds between coast and inland areas according to an annual migration route, and herds are keenly tended. However, reindeer were not bred in captivity, though they were tamed for milking as well as for use as draught animals or [[Working animal|beasts of burden]].
The use of reindeer as semi-domesticated livestock in Alaska was introduced in the late 19th century by the [[U.S. Revenue Cutter Service]], with assistance from [[Sheldon Jackson]], as a means of providing a livelihood for [[Indigenous peoples|Native peoples]] there.<ref>King, Irving H.(1996). ''The Coast Guard Expands'', p. 86-91. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 155750458X.</ref> Reindeer were imported first from Siberia, and later also from Norway. A regular mail run in [[Wales, Alaska]], used a sleigh drawn by reindeer.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=6RcWb-PNMiMC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=reindeer+mail+wales&source=bl&ots=ci568lJvIn&sig=A8pfb22tvmQvMTcYFVrqdEel75k&hl=en&ei=O1PSTJLnLYm4sAPPzs3ICw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=reindeer%20mail%20wales&f=false| Annual report on introduction of domestic reindeer into Alaska, Volume 14]</ref> In Alaska, reindeer herders use [[satellite]] telemetry to track their herds, using online maps and databases to chart the herd's progress.
===Economy===
The reindeer has (or has had) an important economic role for all [[List of indigenous peoples#Circumpolar North|circumpolar peoples]], including the Saami, Nenets, [[Khanty people|Khants]], [[Evenks]], [[Yukaghir]]s, Chukchi, and [[Koryaks]] in Eurasia. It is believed that domestication started between the [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] and [[Iron Age]]s. Siberian deer owners also use the reindeer to ride on (Siberian reindeer are larger than their Scandinavian relatives). For breeders, a single owner may own hundreds or even thousands of animals. The numbers of Russian herders have been drastically reduced since the fall of the [[Soviet Union]]. The fur and meat is sold, which is an important source of income. Reindeer were introduced into Alaska near the end of the 19th century; they interbreed with native caribou subspecies there. Reindeer herders on the [[Seward Peninsula]] have experienced significant losses to their herds from animals (such as wolves) following the wild caribou during their migrations.
Reindeer [[meat]] is popular in the Scandinavian countries. Reindeer [[meatball]]s are sold canned. [[Sautéed reindeer]] is the best-known dish in Lapland. In Alaska and Finland, reindeer [[sausage]] is sold in supermarkets and [[grocery store]]s. Reindeer meat is very tender and lean. It can be prepared fresh, but also dried, salted, hot- and cold-[[smoking (food)|smoked]]. In addition to meat, almost all internal organs of reindeer can be eaten, some being traditional dishes.<ref>[http://www.saunalahti.fi/~marian1/gourmet/reindeer.htm]</ref> Furthermore, ''Lapin Poron liha'' fresh Reindeer meat completely produced and packed in [[Finnish Lapland]] is protected in Europe with [[PDO]] classification.<ref name="60N">'' '[http://60north.mmm.fi/news?&article=13673753§ion=05 Lapland Reindeer meat protected in the EU]' '' 60°North Magazine (Accessed 19 July 2010)</ref><ref name="DOOR">[http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/list.html European Commission PDO/PGI list] (Accessed 19 July 2010)</ref>
Reindeer antler is powdered and sold as an [[aphrodisiac]], nutritional or medicinal supplement to Asian markets.
Caribou have been a major source of subsistence for Canadian [[Inuit]].
===In history===
Both [[Aristotle]] and [[Theophrastus]] have short accounts - probably based on the same source - of an ox-sized deer species, named ''tarandos'', living in the land of the [[Budini|Bodines]] in [[Scythia]], which was able to change the colour of its fur to obtain camouflage. The latter is probably a misunderstanding of the seasonal change in reindeer fur colour. The descriptions have been interpreted as being of reindeer living in the southern [[Ural Mountains]] at c. 350 BC<ref name=Sarauw>{{Cite book|last1= Sarauw |first1= Georg | authorlink1= Georg F.L. Sarauw |editor1-first= H. F. E. |editor1-last= Jungersen |editor2-first= E. |editor2-last= [[Eugenius Warming|Warming]] | title= Mindeskrift i Anledning af Hundredeaaret for [[Japetus Steenstrup]]s Fødsel |chapter= Das Rentier in Europa zu den Zeiten Alexanders und Cæsars |trans_chapter= The reindeer in Europe to the times of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar |url= |format= |accessdate= |year= 1914 |publisher= |___location= Copenhagen |language= German |isbn= |pages= 1–33 |chapterurl= }}</ref>
A deer-like animal described by [[Julius Caesar]] in his ''[[Commentarii de Bello Gallico]]'' (chapter 6.26) from the [[Hercynian Forest]] in the year 53 BC is most certainly to be interpreted as reindeer:<ref name=Sarauw/><ref>"Est bos cervi figura, cuius a media fronte inter aures unum cornu* exsistit excelsius magisque directum his, quae nobis nota sunt, cornibus: ab eius summo sicut palmae ramique* late diffunduntur. Eadem est feminae marisque natura, eadem forma magnitudoque cornuum." {{Cite book|last1= Greenough |first1= J. B. | last2= D'Ooge |first2= Benjamin L. | last3= Daniell | first3= M. Grant | title= Commentary on Caesar, Gallic War |chapter= book 6, chapter 26 |url= http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0017&query=chapter%3D%23242 |year= 1898 |publisher= Ginn and Company |___location= Boston }}</ref>
{{quote|There is an [[ox]] shaped like a [[stag]]. In the middle of its forehead a single horn grows between its ears, taller and straighter than the animal horns with which we are familiar. At the top this horn spreads out like the palm of a hand or the branches of a tree. The females are of the same form as the males, and their horns are the same shape and size.}}
According to [[Olaus Magnus]]'s [[Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus]] - printed in [[Rome]] in 1555 - [[Gustav I of Sweden]] sent 10 reindeer to [[Albert I, Duke of Prussia]], in the year 1533. It may be these animals that [[Conrad Gessner]] had seen or heard of.
===Name etymology===
The name '''rangifer''', which [[Linnaeus]] chose as the name for the reindeer [[genus]], was used by [[Albertus Magnus]] in his ''De animalibus'', fol. Liber 22, Cap. 268: "Dicitur Rangyfer quasi ramifer". This word may go back to a [[Saami]] word ''raingo''.<ref name=Sarauw/> For the origin of the word '''tarandus''', which [[Linnaeus]] chose as the species [[epithet]], he made reference to [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]]'s ''Quadrupedum omnium bisulcorum historia'' fol. 859—863, Cap. 30: De Tarando (1621). However, [[Ulisse Aldrovandi|Aldrovandi]] - and before him [[Konrad Gesner]]<ref>Gesner, K. (1617) ''Historia animalium. Liber 1, De quadrupedibus viviparis''. Tiguri 1551. p. 156: De Tarando. 9. 950: De Rangifero.</ref> - thought that ''rangifer'' and ''tarandus'' were two separate animals.<ref>Aldrovandi, U. (1621) ''Quadrupedum omnium bisulcorum historia''. Bononiæ. Cap. 30: De Tarando - Cap. 31: De Rangifero.</ref> In any case, the ''tarandos'' name goes back to [[Aristotle]] and [[Theophrastus]] - see above.
===Local names===
The name ''rein'' (-deer) is of [[Norsemen|Norse]] origin ([[Old Norse]] ''hreinn'', which again goes back to [[Proto-Germanic]] *hraina and [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *kroino meaning "horned animal"). In the [[Finno-Permic languages|Finno-Permic]] languages, [[Sami languages|Sami]] ''poatsu'' (in [[Northern Sami]] ''boazu'', in [[Lule Sami]] ''boatsoj'', in [[Pite Sami]] ''båtsoj'', in [[Southern Sami]] ''bovtse''), [[Mari language|Mari]] ''pučə'' and [[Udmurt language|Udmurt]] ''pudžej'', all referring to domesticated reindeer, go back to *počaw, an Iranian loanword deriving from Proto-Indo-European *peḱu-, meaning "cattle". The Finnish name ''poro'' may also stem from the same.<ref>Koivulehti, Jorma (2007): Saamen ja suomen 'poro'. Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 253. http://www.sgr.fi/sust/sust253/sust253_koivulehto.pdf</ref> The name ''caribou'' comes, through French, from [[Míkmaq language|Mi'kmaq]] ''qalipu'', meaning "snow shoveler", referring to its habit of pawing through the snow for food.<ref>Flexner, Stuart Berg and Leonore Crary Hauck, eds. (1987). ''The Random House Dictionary of the English Language'', 2nd ed. (unabridged). New York: Random House, pp. 315-16)</ref> In [[Inuktitut]], the caribou is known by the name ''tuttuk'' (Labrador dialect). In Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi dialects the caribou is called ''atihkw''.
==Reindeer in Christmas==
[[Image:reindeer.yate.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|Two Scottish reindeer relax after pulling Santa's sleigh at the switching on of Christmas lights]]
===Santa Claus's reindeer===
{{Main|Santa Claus's reindeer}}
In the [[Santa Claus]] myth, Santa Claus's sleigh is pulled by flying reindeer. These were first named in the 1823 poem "[[A Visit from St. Nicholas]]", where they are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder<!-- NOT DONNER, READ THE SOURCE -->, and Blixem<!-- NOT BLITZEN, READ THE SOURCE -->.<ref name="My Merry Christmas">[http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/reindeer.shtml "The Legendary Role of Reindeer in Christmas], Jeff Westover, My Merry Christmas, ''accessed 27 December 2007''</ref> Dunder was later changed to Donder and—in other works—Donner (in German, "thunder"), and Blixem was later changed to Bliksem, then Blitzen (German for "lightning"). Some consider Rudolph as part of the group as well, though he was not part of the original named work referenced previously. Rudolph was added by Robert L. May in 1939 as "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]".
According to the British comedy panel game [[QI]], Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all of Santa's other reindeer must be either [[female]] or [[castration|castrated]], because [[male]] reindeer lose their antlers during winter.
==Heraldry and symbols==
[[Image:Beaumont hamel newfoundland memorial.jpg|thumb|left|The Caribou Monument at the [[World War I]] [[Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial]]]]
Several Norwegian municipalities have one or more reindeer depicted in their coats-of-arms: [[Eidfjord]], [[Porsanger]], [[Rendalen]], [[Tromsø]], [[Vadsø]], and [[Vågå]]. The historic province of [[Västerbotten]] in [[Sweden]] has a reindeer in its coat of arms. The present [[Västerbotten County]] has very different borders and uses the reindeer combined with other symbols in its coat-of-arms. The city of [[Piteå]] also has a reindeer. The logo for [[Umeå University]] features three reindeer.
The Canadian [[Quarter (Canadian coin)|quarter]] features a depiction of a caribou on one face. The caribou is the official provincial animal of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], Canada, and appears on the [[coat of arms of Nunavut]]. A caribou statue was erected at the center of the [[Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial]], marking the spot in France where hundreds of soldiers from Newfoundland were killed and wounded in the [[World War I|First World War]].
Two municipalities in Finland have reindeer motifs in their coats-of-arms: [[Kuusamo]]<ref>[http://www.kunnat.net/k_perussivu.asp?path=1;29;341;486;84531;84544 Coat of arms for Kuusamo.]</ref> has a running reindeer and [[Inari, Finland|Inari]]<ref>[http://www.kunnat.net/k_perussivu.asp?path=1;29;102942;486;84531;84542 Coat of arms for Inari.]</ref> a fish with reindeer antlers.
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