Caribou

---

Click on Photos for larger view.

During the Trout River Pond boat tour, we saw a caribou bull going for a swim. We were surprised at the speed of his swimming; until we discovered that their coat's hollow guard hairs help them stay afloat. The woodland caribou is a native throughout the island of Newfoundland where several herds number over 100,000. Newfoundland woodland caribou is the southern most caribou herd in the world. As a comparison, Labrador's Georges River Caribou herd, 750,000 animals, are the barren-ground type of caribou which are slightly smaller and tastier.

The caribou went from the water to the rocks on the edge of the shore, shook off (similar to what a dog does) and then returned to the water to continue his swim. The average woodland caribou bull weighs 180 kg (400 lbs) and the cow weighs slightly less. Unlike the moose, both the male and female caribou have antlers which they retain all year. Caribou are the same species as reindeer, Rangifer tarandus.