Relative Abundance of Food in Winter for Newfoundland Caribou

Abstract

Information on the winter feeding behaviour of caribou Rangifer tarandus Bangs in Newfoundland and the relative abundance of food available to them in winter are presented. Sight and smell were used to locate food beneath the snow. Tall shrubs showing above the snow appeared to increase lichen availability by providing air vents. A comparison of absolute abundance of food, based on percentage of ground surface covered with plants, and the relative abundance of food in winter, based on species composition in feeding craters, indicated that shrubs were consumed more than the absolute abundance suggested. Shrubs and terrestrial lichens were consumed more on a lichen woodland range than on a subalpine range, even though caribou densities were similar. Snow was softer and shrubs taller on the lichen woodland range than the subalpine; these factors probably increased the relative abundance of shrubs and lichens in winter.