Abstract
Behavioural responses of wintering caribou to changing conditions of weather and the snow cover in northwestern Alaska signified their capacity to efficiently exploit the physical environment.The animals conserved energy by occupying wind-shadowed locations during storms and by changing territories and feeding intensively during calm periods. It is postulated that the numbers of caribou may be controlled by the morphology of the snow cover since they exhibited strong selection against snow criteria inappropriate to specific activities essential to their viability, and in particular, they would not dig for food where the snow cover was more than 70 cm thick.
Zusammenfassung
Die Reaktionen im Wohlbefinden der überwinternden Karibus auf die wechselnden Umweltbedingungen durch Wetter und Schneebedeckung im nordwestlichen Alaska zeigten ihre Fähigkeit, sich der physikalischen Umwelt anzupassen. Die Tiere sparten Energie durch das Aufsuchen windgeschützter Orte während Stürmen,durch Wechseln der Gegend und intensive Nahrungsaufnahme während ruhiger Perioden.Es wird angenommen, dass die Anzahl der Karibus durch die Gestaltung der Schneebedeckung beeinflusst wird. Sie vermieden Schneeverhältnisse, die zur Ausübung der spezifischen Aktivitäten für die Lebensfähigkeit ungeeignet sind und gruben nicht nach Futter bei Schneedecken höher als 70 cm.
Resume
Les réactions des caribous hivernant dans le nord-ouest de l'Alaska ont montré que ces animaux étaient capables, pour préserver leur bien-être,de s'adapter à l'ambiance physique conditionnée par les changements de temps et de couverture de neige. Les animaux ont ménagé leurs forces en recherchant les endroits abrités en cas de tempêtes, ou, au contraire, en pâturant intensément et en se déplaçant par temps calme. On admet ici que le nombre des caribous est influencé par l'état de la couche de neige. En effet, ils évitent les conditions d'enneigement qui seraient contraires à leur activité spécifique ou à leurs nécessités vitales. Par exemple, ils ne creusent pas pour rechercher du fourrage lorsque la couche de neige dépasse 70 cm.
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This article is a partial condensation of an M.I.Biol. thesis accepted by the Institute of Biology, London, 1964 and published by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan, No. M-746, 1965. The research was undertaken through the Department of Biology and the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit,both of the University of Alaska, College, Alaska, and the Scott Polar Research Institute,University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.
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Henshaw, J. The activities of the wintering caribou in northwestern alaska in relation to weather and snow conditions. Int J Biometeorol 12, 21–27 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552974
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552974