Abstract
In winter, barren-ground caribou obtain minerals from ice and soil licks. Between December and April we have seen caribou cratering on the surface of frozen lakes and licking the ice. Ice samples from eight licks on four lakes contained concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chloride and sulphate many times higher than in the surrounding unlicked ice or than would be expected in lake water. Soil licks being used in March and June had high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium phosphorus and potassium. In winter caribou may be seeking supplements of all of the major mineral elements (calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) at ice and soil licks because lichens, their staple winter diet, are low in minerals and may also reduce the absorption of some minerals.
Highlights
T h e use o f mineral licks by wild ungulates is generally confined to summer (Cowan and Brink 1949, Skoog 1968, Calef and Lortie 1975, Jones and Hanson 1985)
This paper describes the chemical composition o f lake ice and soil that caribou used as mineral licks in winter
We collected two lumps of caribou urine frozen in the snow from Landing Lake near sample six to determine i f caribou urine was a component of the ice licks
Summary
T h e use o f mineral licks by wild ungulates is generally confined to summer (Cowan and Brink 1949, Skoog 1968, Calef and Lortie 1975, Jones and Hanson 1985). Figure l.The location of ice and soil mineral licks sampled on barren ground caribou winter range. Unlicked Caribou Representative ice1 urine water 2
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