# Reindeer (*Rangifer tarandus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/reindeer  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also called Caribou, is a large mammal in the family Cervidae, order Artiodactyla. It is a diurnal, terrestrial herbivore of forest habitats, with main foods listed as lichen, cladonia rangiferina, carex, salix, mushroom, arctic char, fish, bird egg, lemming and rodent. Adults have a representative body mass of 86 kg, with up to 110.5 kg reported, and the lifespan is 20.2 years, with up to 21.8 years reported. The reindeer is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 86 kg – 110.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 20.2 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 21.8 years |
| Main food | arctic char, bird egg, carex, cladonia rangiferina, fish, lemming and 4 more |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 223 days – 229 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.1 |
| Age at maturity | 22.3 months – 22.8 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Cervidae
- genus: Rangifer
- species: *Rangifer tarandus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Cervus tarandus*, *Rangifer spitzbergensis*, *Rangifer tarandus buskensis*, *Rangifer tarandus caboti*, *Rangifer tarandus dawsoni*, *Rangifer tarandus osborni*, *Rangifer tarandus terraenovae*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a reindeer?

The reindeer is a large mammal in the family Cervidae, subfamily Capreolinae, within the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is a reindeer?

Adult Reindeer have a representative body mass of 86 kg, and our sources report up to 110.5 kg.

### What does a reindeer eat?

The reindeer is classed as a herbivore. Its main foods are listed as arctic char, bird egg, carex, cladonia rangiferina, fish, lemming, lichen, mushroom, rodent and salix.

### Is the reindeer endangered?

The reindeer is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a reindeer live?

The reindeer has a lifespan of 20.2 years, and our sources report up to 21.8 years.

### How many young does a reindeer have?

The reindeer has 1.1 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 222.5 days.

### When does a reindeer reach sexual maturity?

The reindeer reaches sexual maturity at 1.9 years (687.6 days).

### Who named the reindeer?

The scientific name Rangifer tarandus is attributed to (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/reindeer