Functional Anatomy of the Tail and Associated Behavior in Woodland Caribou

Many studies have been devoted to behavioral aspects of caribou and some have been devoted to anatomy.However, a correlation between the two, especially with regards to olfaction, is rarely encountered.It is known that caribou communicate socially by both visual and olfactory means.Lent (1964, p. 167) even suggests that olfactory stimuli are the more important of these two alarm mechanisms.'The preorbital, tarsal and interdigital glands are known to be well developed and function to secrete odoriferous material (Quay, 1955), but the nature and associated function of the tail has not been described.Three caribou were collected on December 3, 1962 at the headwaters of Rock Creek, three miles north of Jasper National Park, Alberta.The taxonomic status of this population is referred to by Banfield (1961) as Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin).These specimens were prepared as complete skeletons and skins for the University of Alberta Museum of Zoology and consist of the following: A mature bull (UAMZ 3759) weighing 300 pounds; a mature cow (3760) weighing 225 pounds; and a female calf (3761) weighing 122 pounds.