... Caribou, or reindeer, migrate every summer. Caribou tend to calve year after year in the same general areas, but the migration routes used for many years can suddenly be abandoned in favor of travel to new food areas. 3. Why do the caribou choose these pathways for migration? Most years the caribou migrate right through the area that includes the town of Old Crow. What animals migrate and why. The Caribou features distinctive tall, flat antlers and is one of Canada's most recognizable species, inhabiting the Arctic, Boreal, and mountain regions. Ask: Do you think all animals migrate? During the reindeer migration camps of portable shelters called are erected. ... As the climate changes, and migration patterns shift, it will be increasingly important for governments to implement effective land-use planning to support wildlife and ecosystems. This 700 km trip allows the caribou to seek conditions essential for survival. The only other land animal to travel farther in North America is the caribou. Some migrations take so long that multiple. Caribous move from region to region, forced on by seasonal availability of tundra plants on which they feed. caribou winter range can be from as far south as latitude 46o north to their summer range as far north as latitude 80o north. Caribou movements are probably triggered by changing weather conditions, such as the onset of cold weather or snowstorms. Reindeer or caribou can move long distances between their winter and summer homes. Why do the Alaskan caribou migrate and travel only in the yukon region? Why or why not? Which species of animals migrate d. Questions about migration y09182_gr3_migrations_bk.indd 4 8/29/11 2:25 pm why do animals migrate? As nomadic people, the Nenets do not remain in one place for long. What would it be like to live in Old Crow or Arctic Village? Caribou apparently have a built in compass, like migratory birds, and can travel through areas that are unfamiliar to them to reach their calving grounds. What makes this route good for caribou? The most important behavior caribou have adapted for survival is their annual migration from their summer range along the north coast to the boreal forests of the Richardson and Ogilvie mountain ranges. Throughout all seasons caribou in Alaska prefer treeless tundra and mountains. Barren-ground caribou are probably the most wide-ranging land mammal in North America. Once they decide to migrate, caribou can travel up to 50 miles a day. In the spring some barren-ground females migrate en masse hundreds of kilometres to Arctic calving grounds that have reduced forage, late phenology (i.e., when green plants begin to appear in spring) and often some snow cover. While there are still large wild herds of caribou, some have been tended by humans going back 3,000 years. They typically travel 500 kilometers (~300 miles) but they can travel up to 2,500 k (~1,500 mi) each way. Caribou are the only deer to have been domesticated on such a widespread basis. What came first, the migration path or the town? Tell students that some groups of animals stay in the same place their entire lives, others migrate just once in their life, and still others migrate every year. During migration, herds of cows (female caribou) leave several weeks before the males, who follow with yearling calves from the previous birthing season. Depending on the weather, the Nenets may spend several days in one place, repairing sledges and chum coverings to keep busy before moving on. Migration . Even more amazing than its speed is the pronghornâs migration. 2. According to a provincial status report from the late 1960s, growing interest in caribou hunting from the public should be paralleled by an improved management plan on the part of the Fish and Wildlife Division. Pronghorn are ungulates (hoofed animals) and related to goats and antelope. Caribou in Canada make the longest known terrestrial migration. Caribou frequently cross rivers and lakes during their migration travels. In North America, caribou herds still use the same migration routes and river crossing points their ancestors used as much as 27,000 years ago. A railroad is built from Grande Cache to Hinton, bisecting the seasonal migration route of mountain caribou. Herds of pronghorn migrate 150 miles each way between Wyomingâs Upper Green River Basin and Grand Teton National Park.