Queen Charlotte Islands caribou

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Dawson's caribou
Status iucn3.1 EX.svg
Extinct  (1908)  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Status TNC TX.svg
Presumed Extinct  (1908)  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Genus: Rangifer
Species:
Subspecies:
R. t. dawsoni
Trinomial name
Rangifer tarandus dawsoni
Seton, 1900
Rangifer tarandus Map CAN-US.svg
Approximate range of subspecies of Rangifer tarandus. Overlap with other subspecies of caribou is possible for contiguous range. 1.R. t. caribou, which is subdivided into ecotypes: woodland (boreal), woodland (migratory) and woodland (mountain), 2.R. t. dawsoni (extinct 1908), 3. R. t. granti, 4. R. t. groenlandicus, 5. R. t. groenlandicus/pearyi, 6.R. t. pearyi

The Dawson's caribou, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands caribou (Rangifer tarandus dawsoni) was a population of woodland caribou that once lived on Graham Island, the largest of the islands within the Haida Gwaii archipelago, located off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. [3]

Contents

Description

An inland wetland on Graham Island. Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) - Graham Island - (21534557386).jpg
An inland wetland on Graham Island.

Discovery

The Haida Gwaii archipelago has been inhabited by indigenous people for thousands of years. Despite this, it is not reported that the indigenous population had much, if any, knowledge of the caribou, likely due to the two inhabiting different parts of Graham Island. [4] The first known written record of the Dawson's caribou came from George Mercer Dawson, a member of the Geological Survey of Canada, who mentioned the animal in a 1878 report on the islands, initially mistaking it for a type of elk. [4] Dawson eventually brought news of the caribou to Ernest Thompson Seton, an author and wildlife artist, who officially described the animal in 1900 and named it in Dawson's honour. [5]

Appearance

The subject of the coat colour of the Dawson's caribou is a matter of some contention. While often described as pale with few to no markings, which would be typical of an insular ungulate, [3] this description is likely based on aged museum skins, as the remains of recently killed individuals photographed in 1908 appear darker in colour. [6]

The Dawson's caribou is also described as smaller than its mainland counterpart, which is likely due to insular dwarfism, another trait common in insular ungulates. [7]

Some sources report both sexes as having antlers, [6] while others state females were antlerless. In both cases, the antlers themselves are described as reduced in size, in comparison to mainland caribou, and remarkably abnormal in shape. [3]

Ecology

The Dawson's caribou was the largest herbivorous land mammal native to the Haida Gwaii archipelago. [8] They were said to only be found on the plateau around Virago Sound, located in the north of the island, [6] inhabiting muskegs and open woodland. [3]

The only carnivore the caribou would have had to contend with would have been the Haida Gwaii black bear, which still survives on the islands today. [8]

Genetics

Once thought to represent a unique subspecies of woodland caribou, a 2002 study that analysed mtDNA found Dawson's caribou to not be genetically distinct from the subspecies on the Canadian mainland. [3]

Extirpation

A black-tailed deer on Graham Island. Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) - Graham Island - a few hikes around the N end of Naikoon Provincial Park - the unbiquitos Sitka Black-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) - (21561995305).jpg
A black-tailed deer on Graham Island.

Given the small size and isolation of the Dawson's caribou population, even minor changes in their environment could have presented considerable pressure to their continued survival. [9]

The introduction of black-tailed deer to Graham Island took place on multiple occasions between 1878 and 1925, [10] and could have potentially played a role in the caribou's demise through competition for resources and the spread of disease. Clearcutting was occurring on the island around this time as well, and along with providing further feeding opportunities for the introduced black-tailed deer, which in turn helped bolster their numbers, [10] it is possible the destruction of woodland negatively affected the caribou directly via habitat loss.

Dawson's caribou were hunted by both indigenous people and European settlers for their pelts, as part of the fur trade, [4] which presented another threat to the population.

The last definite sighting of a live Dawson's caribou occurred on November 1, 1908, when a small group was observed, this included a pair of adult bulls, one cow and a calf. The animals showed little fear and stood quite still. One by one, except for the calf, all three animals were shot and killed. The orphaned calf meanwhile, was spared in the same year, but without the care of its parents, it died soon after. [11] Their remains, one of which represents the only mounted specimen known to exist, now reside in the collection of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. [12]

While caribou tracks were discovered as recently as 1935, [6] the exact age of the hoof prints is not known, and it is likely the population was fully extirpated by the end of the decade, if not earlier. [3]

Related Research Articles

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The reindeer or caribou is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou into six distinct species over their range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecotype</span> Classification of distinct populations lesser than subspecies

In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype, sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population, or race within a species, which is genotypically adapted to specific environmental conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitka deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The Sitka deer or Sitka black-tailed deer is a subspecies of mule deer, similar to the Columbian black-tailed subspecies. Their name originates from Sitka, Alaska, and it is not to be confused with the similarly named sika deer. Weighing in on average between 48 and 90 kg, Sitka deer are characteristically smaller than other subspecies of mule deer. Reddish-brown in the summer, their coats darken to a gray-brown in mid- to late August. They are also good swimmers, and can occasionally be seen crossing deep channels between islands. Their average lifespan is about 10 years, but a few are known to have attained an age of 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migratory woodland caribou</span> Subspecies of deer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porcupine caribou</span> Subspecies of deer

The Porcupine caribou(Rangifer tarandus arcticus) is a herd or ecotype of barren-ground caribou, the subspecies of the reindeer or caribou found in Alaska, United States, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada.

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Dawson's may refer to:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish forest reindeer</span> Subspecies of deer

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References

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  7. Harding, Lee E. (2022-08-26). "Available names for Rangifer (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Cervidae) species and subspecies". ZooKeys (1119): 117–151. Bibcode:2022ZooK.1119..117H. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1119.80233 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   9848878 . PMID   36762356.
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