Becky Oskin,
OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Date: 05 April
2013 Time: 01:26 PM ET
In the dry and
frigid Arctic , caribou antlers and skeletons
survive on the landscape for thousands of years. For the first time,
researchers are using these bones to track caribou behavior in Alaska
Both male and
female caribou shed
antlers, but only females shed them within a few days of giving birth.
Researchers found a surprising number of antlers and newborn skeletons on river
terraces in the Porcupine caribou herd's calving grounds. Tundra was thought to
be the most popular calving turf.
With 170,000
animals, the caribou herd plays a critical role in the Arctic ecosystem. The
study authors hope to extend their work to understand how the herd's behavior
may have shifted with warmer or colder climate periods.
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