UAF Large Animal Research Station (LARS)

OK...so I told the story about the Santa Claus House and mentioned that Erica learned that Santa's reindeer are all girls. Here's more "Discovery Channel" learning for you...it really was VERY interesting and I'm glad we went!

The University of Alaska, Fairbanks studies large arctic animals as part of the biological program (if I remember correctly). That includes Muskoxen and Caribou. It USED to include Moose, but they didn't like being penned up and the university didn't like having to replace the fences. They also house Reindeer on their pastures, but the reindeer are part of the agriculture program, not the biological program.

Muskoxen were literally extinct in Alaska in the early 1900s due to evil hunters...their protective mechanism is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the weak and young behind them. That works WONDERS against a standard predator (bear or wolf), but it's no match against a gun. They (can't remember who "they" is) got 40-odd animals from somewhere else (somewhere cold...duh...Canada sticks in my head, but I can't remember for sure), and have successfully re-introduced them back in the state!!! Alaska has even started issuing hunting tags because the program has been so successful.

Cool facts about the muskoxen:

• Their wool (called qiviut) is hypoallergenic...and VERY pricey!
• Their nostrils are like turbines...the bone swirls inside the nose and their nostrils are lined with blood vessels. Air warms by 30 degrees as they inhale before it reaches their lungs (very important when you live in 50 below temps with wind that can make it feel like 80 below)
• The bulls will size each other up. While #1 and #2 fight and get tired, #3 will go for the women...HA...it's not always best to be the best muskox...hee, hee.
• The bosses (the thick part of the horns on the skull) can get to be 9" thick
  They don't migrate (interesting...I thought they did)- In the wild the females have babies every two years due to nutritional conditions...in captivity they can have babies every year.
• LARS is a non-profit research station...they sell the raw quviut to be spun into wool and also sell products made from the processed qiviut. Qiviut proceeds support the LARS...making the caribou "free-loaders" at LARS.

I don't have cool historical stories about caribou other than the "Santa's reindeer are females" fact (read all the way to the bottom on that post). About the only other things I can add are:

• There are about 1-1/2 million in the state and they estimate there will soon be 2 million.
• They migrate and the migration patterns can be seen from outer space.
• Most of the wild caribou babies don't survive winter (but I'm not sure how they estimate they'll reach 2 million soon given this...I forgot to ask).
• Their hair is hollow (like Polar Bears), when you see them crossing a river, note their backs are out of water...they are not walking in a shallow river. Their hollow hairs give them additional buoyancy to get across the river. Now look at deer crossing a river...only their heads are out of the water. Cool, huh...

One other thing I did learn, though, that Alaska (maybe just UAF...although if I forget to use spray, I would definitely agree!) considers the mosquito to be a predator in the state. The infamous "they" estimate that if you go into the tundra without appropriate clothing or pesticides, that you will die in 48 hours due to blood loss from mosquitoes. WOW!!!

Oh, and the difference between Caribou and Reindeer. Reindeer have been bred specifically to be short and stout (again, scroll toward bottom of post to see "Blitzen") to act as a beast of burden and for food. Reindeer are not native to Alaska, however, we do have them. Caribou are native in Alaska. Their legs are longer to maneuver through the deep snow and act as GREAT propellers to help them cross rivers.