Composition : 99.99% silver
Mintage : 500

Ancient Spiritof the North: The Mighty Caribou

Rangifer tarandus, knownas caribou in North America and reindeer in Eurasia, is a member of the Cervidae, or deer, family. In Canada, this family also includes moose, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk. Native to Canada, four subspecies of Rangifer tarandus occupy tundra and boreal zones spanning from the West Coast to Newfoundland and from the USA-Canada border to Ellesmere Island: the endangered Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) of the northern boreal region; the Barren-ground Caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), which lives on the tundra northof the Woodland Caribou range; the small Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) of the Arctic; and the Porcupine Caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) of Canada's northern territories. In total, Canada is home to about 2.4 million caribou - one of the world's largest populations.

This midsized ruminant lives primarily on nutrient-rich lichens in the winter, adding leaves and grasses to its diet as they become available in the warmer months. All caribou shovel their way to lichens through winter snows using specially adapted hooves. The hooves, whose rigidity changes with the seasons to give the animal greater grip on ice, rock, or boggy land, alsogrow much longer in winter to give the caribou greater traction on snow. The two dewclaws at the back of each hoof help to improve the caribou's weight distribution and balance in any terrain. To escape their main predator, the grey wolf, caribou can run at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, and are fast, strong swimmers
 

THE CARIBOU - 2013 CANADIAN COINS is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 10- FLORA, FAUNA & NATURE and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.