- caribou
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any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World.[1665-75, Amer.; < CanF caribou, r. earlier E caribo, both < Micmac galipu deriv. (agent n.) of galipi- shovel snow < Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; called the snow-shoveler from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front hoofs in search of food]
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Arctic deer (Rangifer tarandus) of the tundra, taiga, and forests, native to North America and northern Eurasia from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia.Both sexes have antlers. Caribou stand 2.3–4.6 ft (0.7–1.4 m) tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 660 lbs (300 kg); domesticated races are about the size of donkeys. They are usually grayish or brownish with lighter underparts but may be whitish or nearly black. Their herds are famous for their seasonal migration between summer and winter ranges. Their staple winter food is a lichen, popularly called reindeer moss, which they reach by scraping the snow away with their feet. In summer they also eat grasses and saplings. See also reindeer.* * *
city, Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Aroostook River, near the New Brunswick border, 13 miles (21 km) north of Presque Isle. Settled in 1824, it developed as a lumbering centre and was incorporated in 1859 as Lyndon. It was renamed Caribou in 1877 for the woodland caribou once plentiful in the region. The city is the shipping point for a large potato-growing region. Light industries produce potato-packing bags, automotive electronic control devices, and custom steel products. It serves as a gateway to Maine's Great North Woods and the Allagash outdoor recreation area. Caribou's Nylander Museum houses Indian artifacts, minerals, and geologic items collected by the Swedish-born naturalist and geologist Olaf Nylander. Caribou was the departure point for the first solo transatlantic balloon flight (1984). Inc. city, 1968. Pop. (1990) 9,415; (2000) 8,312.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
