Big herbivores!

[brotherbear]

BEARS of the last frontier... The caribou's longevity stems in part from its infinitely well-adapted physiology and behavior. These animals are made for the cold. Their short compact bodies are covered with thick woolly hair under an outer layer of guard hairs that are hollow to aid insulation and flotation in water. Their large muzzles regulate air temperature to ease breathing, and their hooves perform seasonal miracles by hardening in winter months to break through ice in search of vegetation. They are the only deer species for which both sexes have antlers - which can grow an inch per day in the summer months! Although the bulls shed their antlers after the breeding season in the fall, the females retain theirs until after calving, perhaps as a defense against predators. Reply