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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES CANADA
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 Caribou have always
been important to the people of the NWT. Their
relationship ex-
tends
back at least 7,000 years. Many people still
rely on caribou as their main source of food. As
well, cari-
bou hides
are still traditionally tanned and used for
clothing such as footwear, gloves and
| jackets.
Caribou have long legs that end in large, broad,
sharp-
edged hooves. This
enables caribou to dig through ice and snow to
feed themselves during the winter months. As well,
their hooves provide good support and traction
when traveling over snow, ice or muskeg, allowing
caribou to move quickly and escape predators.
Caribou are also very important for visitors, as
their predictable migration routes, large numbers
and generally curious nature make them easier to
find, observe and photograph. Caribou are the only
members of the deer family in which both males and
females grow antlers. There are four subspecies of
caribou found the NWT. The Barren Ground,
Woodland, Peary and Grant's caribou.
Barren Ground
Caribou
Barren ground caribou
have the widest distribution. They range over the
taiga forests and tundra of the NWT mainland.
Barren-ground caribou are by far the most abundant
subspecies in the NWT and have the greatest
cultural and economic importance.
Woodland Caribou
Woodland caribou are
divided into two distinct populations in the NWT:
Boreal and Northern Mountain. Northern Mountain
caribou gather in groups that can number in the
thousands during late summer to late spring, have
distinct seasonal migrations, and live in the
Mackenzie Mountains. Boreal caribou live in the
forests east of the Mackenzie Mountains, tend to
live in small groups, prefer to stay within the
forest most of the year, and do not migrate.
Woodland caribou are the largest of the four
subspecies.
Peary Caribou
Peary Caribou range
throughout the Arctic Archipelago. Peary caribou
are smaller than barren-ground caribou. They have
shorter faces and legs and are lighter in colour.
In winter, Peary caribou have a mostly white coat.
Their summer coat is slate-gray with white legs
and underparts.
Grant's Caribou
Grant's Caribou are found
mainly in Alaska and Yukon, but some Grant's
caribou from the Porcupine herd winter in the
northwest corner of in the NWT. 
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For 8 months of the
year, the muskoxen's range is covered with snow.
In the high arctic islands, 4 months of the year
is spent in darkness with temperatures of -30°
and -40° combined with winds from frequent
blizzards. Without their remarkable two-layered
coat, muskoxen would never
| survive
such extreme conditions. To the Inuit, they are
known as "Oomingmak" or the bearded one. Usually
slow and deliberate in its movements, the muskox
can run and climb with great agility if the need
arises. Ranging throughout the barrens above the
treeline, as well as the arctic islands muskox are
a popular species to observe and photograph.
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In the NWT, the largest
wolves are found on the barrens and below the
treeline, while the smallest occur on the arctic
islands. They tend to follow the migrating
caribou herds. They can be observed readily
during the summer when they are raising their
pups. | Wolf colour
varies from pure white to black, with accompanying
shades of cream and brown. Although all colours
occur throughout the wolf's range, white is most
common on the arctic islands. Grey and other
darker shades predominate on the mainland. The
wolf's coat is thick; composed of long coarse
guard hairs and short soft underfur. In the NWT
the coat is shed only once, in late spring. By
winter the short new pelage grows into a silky
coat, with the underfur appearing in autumn.
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Wood bison, northern
cousins of the plains bison, are North America's
largest land mammals. They are dark brown, have
a massive head, a distinct beard, a high square
shoulder hump, and large front legs. They are
found in northern boreal and aspen forests that
are interspersed
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meadows and lakes. Wood bison are found in four
areas of the NWT:
MacKenzie: This is
the world's largest free-ranging herd of wood
bison.
Liard River Valley:
These bison range through the Liard River Valley
and have expanded their movements into British
Columbia and the Yukon.
Slave River
Lowlands: Two herds in this area include
the Little Buffalo herd on the west side of the
Slave River and the Hook Lake herd on the east
side. Wood Buffalo National Park: Established in
1922, this park was established to save the wood
bison from extinction. Bison are found throughout
Wood Buffalo National Park in several free-roaming
herds.
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There are two types of
foxes found in the NWT; the arctic fox, and the
red fox, and both are plentiful in numbers and
distribution. The red fox is larger than the
arctic fox and lives in more southern ranges.
However, the red fox is an adaptable animal and
some have extended their range into
| areas where
the arctic fox is found. The arctic fox belongs to
the same family as wolves and dogs. Its scientific
name translates as "hare-footed fox", referring to
the dense fur on its feet which is sim-
ilar to the fur on the foot
of a hare. This extra fur provides increa-
sed insulation against the
cold. Other adaptations to its arctic en-
vironment are short legs,
ears and nose, and a thick, white winter coat. The
arctic fox changes the colour of its coat in the
summer. The back, tail, legs and head are brown,
and the sides and belly are blonde. This two-tone
brown coat lasts only for July and Au-
gust and enables the fox to
blend into the summer tundra.
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Caribou
Wildlife
watching trip to view a caribou
migration
