Caribou
CaribouCaribouCaribouCaribou

Caribou

Rangifer tarandus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
60–70% · Likely
overall probability at Denali National Park
395 Verified records at Denali National Park
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The reindeer or caribou (Rangifer tarandus) is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou (North American terminology). "All caribou and reindeer throughout the world are considered to be the same species, but there are 7 subspecies." Reindeer occur in both migratory and sedentary populations, and their herd sizes vary greatly in different regions. The tundra subspecies are adapted for extreme cold, and some are adapted for long-distance migration. Reindeer vary greatly in size and color from the smallest, the Svalbard reindeer (R. (t.) platyrhynchus), to the largest, Osborn's caribou (R. t. Wikipedia →

60–70% of wildlife watchers report a Caribou sighting in Denali National Park, based on 395 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Denali National Park

Elk
LC

Elk

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Alces alces

60–70% · Likely
Moose

Moose

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Alces americanus

20–30% · Possible
Dall Sheep
LC Endemic

Dall Sheep

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Ovis dalli

40–50% · Likely
Mountain Goat
LC

Mountain Goat

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Oreamnos americanus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

50–60
Jan
40–50
Feb
40–50
Mar
40–50
Apr
60–70
May
60–70
Jun
60–70
Jul
60–70
Aug
40–50
Sep
30–40
Oct
50–60
Nov
50–60
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
60–70%
2 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
40–50%
3 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
40–50%
4 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
30–40%
5 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
6 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
7 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
10–20%
8 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
9 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
11 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
12 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Caribou in Denali National Park?

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Caribou sighting in Denali National Park, based on 395 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Caribou in Denali National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Caribou in Denali National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Denali National Park