THE CARIBOU

Also known as reindeer, Caribou are gregarious deer capable of sleeping in water, and are herd animals that are always on the move. Caribou are the only member of the deer family in which both sexes grow antlers.

They will have large migration patterns because of their demand for new feeding areas, as well as their insatiable appetite for Leichen (a moss pronounced lie-Ken) that takes years to grow back. The bond between calve and mother is very strong (they can recognize each other by smell and by the sounds they make), which is important because of the traveling speed during migration.

THE IMPALA

The graceful impala is a slender, medium-sized antelope so adaptable that it is found from southern Africa to the northern limits of East Africa.

Impalas eat tender young grass shoots in the wet season and herbs and shrubs at other times. During the dry season they must drink daily. The female is similar to the male but does not have horns. The male's graceful lyre-shaped horns are 18 to 37 inches long. During periods of intense mating the male vocalizes loudly, making a sound between a lion's roar and a dog's bark.

THE ELAND

The cow-like eland is the world's largest antelope, with  thick and tightly spiraled horns growing up to 25 inches in females and to 50 inches in males. A giant eland can weight up to 2500 pounds

Eland young are born year round. Females with young calves come together in nursery groups, where the young spend a lot of time grooming and licking each other and developing bonds even stronger than those of a calf with its mother.

THE SPRINGBOK

The springbok is handsomely patterned; it is a bright reddish-fawn with broad, brown bands along the side. It has short, lyre-shaped horns that are heavily ridged. The female is slightly smaller than the male and has more slender horns. The springbok is highly gregarious, usually traveling and socializing in large herds in the open savannahs. The springbok both browses and grazes and it prefers dry, open grasslands and savanna. It is somewhat independent of water, but will drink regularly when available.

THE WILDEBEEST

Comically known as the clowns of the savanna, there is no other antelope like the wildebeest. It looks like it was assembled from spare parts – the forequarters could have come from and ox, the hindquarters from an antelope and the mane and tail from a horse.

Wildebeest females give birth to a single calf in the middle of the herd, not seeking a secluded place, as do many antelopes. A calf can stand and run within minutes of birth. It immediately begins to follow its mother and stays close to her to avoid getting lost or killed by waiting predators. Within days, it can run fast enough to keep up with the adult herd. Wildebeest are noisy animals, constantly emit low moans and if disturbed, snort explosively.