Reindeer or Caribou - Same Thing

Okay, so what's the difference between a caribou and a reindeer? Nothing, really. Although in North America "reindeer" usually refers to domesticated caribou, such as the one above my father is feeding. In Europe, they're called reindeer, whether or not they're domesticated. Note the felt shedding from the antlers. Caribou and reindeer have felt on their antlers during the spring and summer when the antlers are growing, then the felt is shed in fall and the antlers fall off in winter sometime after the rut. This is a female reindeer; female reindeer / caribou are the only females in the deer family to grow antlers.

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