What is the difference between Caribou and Reindeer?

A caribou is a species of the deer that usually found in the northern American, while reindeer is found in the northern American and European countries and the Polar regions of the world. A reindeer is a domesticated form of the caribous, but the caribous in themselves are classified as wild animals. Some parts of the world herd the reindeers and also use them for some economic purposes, such as shelter, clothing, and food. The regions where reindeers are domesticated include Europe, Asia, some parts of Russia, and Scandinavia. However, some hunt the caribous for meat purposes.

Though the reindeers and caribous are classified under the same genus and species, they have different breeding period. Reindeers usually start their breeding towards the end of the month of April, while that of caribous starts at the end of the month of August -four months difference. The reindeers actually have better care compared to the caribous, and they are also larger in size.

Both Caribou and Reindeer are animals with a number of similarities. They are both artic and subarctic dwelling deers, and they seem to have some special adaptations to extreme weather conditions. And they belong to the species Rangifer tarandus, with a number of subspecies. However, there are some notable differences between Caribou and Reindeer. Caribou is a type of deer which can be found in most North American countries.

The first difference between Caribou and Reindeer is that, Caribou is a wild animal, it does not live with or around human beings, even despite the huge similarities between Caribou and Reindeer. Caribou, due to the fact that it is a wild animal travels far more than Reindeer in search for things it needs. Reindeer, on the other hand, is also a type of deer, but this time around, it can be domesticated and live with human beings, unlike caribou that does not live with people. It is a great source of meat for human consumption. Another difference is about their size, Reindeer is a little bit larger than Caribou.