NPS/Matt Cameron

What’s in a name?

Caribou have long been a vital resource to Alaska Natives of this area. Their Iñupiaq name is tuttu [too-too], and their scientific name is Rangifer tarandus.

A summer of pests

Which weighs more: the 17 trillion mosquitoes or 950 thousand caribou in the state of Alaska? Scientists estimate there are 96 million pounds of mosquitoes compared to 230 million pounds of caribou.2 A caribou can lose about 4.4 pounds of blood to mosquitoes each year!3