Antlerless females among reindeer and caribou

Abstract

The frequency of occurrence of female reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) without antlers was recorded in the field in southern Norway, Svalbard, Iceland, eastern and western Greenland, and Newfoundland. Additional data were retrieved from the literature. The study showed that antlerless Rangifer females occur throughout their habitat, though they are generally more common among woodland populations than among tundra or alpine populations. Antlerless males are extremely rare. Within subspecies, the frequency of occurrence of antlerless females varies with geographical location: 5 – 47% in Svalbard reindeer, 21 – 79% in western Greenland caribou, and 12 – 92% in Newfoundland woodland caribou. Within the same population the frequency has changed over time, as at Snøhetta and Hardangervidda in southern Norway and possibly also in Newfoundland (the Interior herd). Among tundra reindeer in southern Norway there appears to be a relationship between habitat quality, body size or physical condition, and antler status. Antlerless females are few or absent in populations in prime physical condition and common in populations with animals in poor condition.