26.12.2009 17:47
Tuttu
The reindeer is a
widespread and numerous species in the Holarctic. Originally, the
reindeer was found in Scandinavia,
Eastern Europe, Russia, Mongolia, and northern China north of the
50th latitude.
In North America, it was found in Canada, Alaska(USA), and the northern conterminous USA
from Washington to Maine. In the 19th
century, it was apparently still present in southern Idaho. It also occurred
naturally on Sakhalin, Greenland, and probably
even in historical times in Ireland.
During the late Pleistocene era,
reindeer were found as far south as Nevada and Tennessee in North
America and Spain in
Europe.[2][3] Today, wild reindeer have disappeared from many areas
within this large historical range, especially from the southern parts, where
it vanished almost everywhere. Large populations of wild reindeer are still
found in Norway, Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, and Canada, with a singular
herd of approximately 50 Reindeer living around the Cairngorms region in Scotland. Domesticated reindeer
are mostly found in northern Fennoscandia, Russia, and Iceland (where they
were introduced by humans in the 18th century). The last remaining wild
reindeer in Europe are found in portions of southern Norway.[4] The southern boundary of the species' natural range
is approximately at 62° north latitude. A few reindeer from
Norway were introduced to the South Atlantic island of South Georgia in
the beginning of the 20th century. Today, there are two distinct herds still
thriving there, permanently separated by glaciers. Their total
numbers are no more than a few thousand. The flag and the coat of arms of the
territory contain an image of a reindeer. Around 4000 reindeer have been
introduced into the French sub-Antarctic archipelago of Kerguelen Islands. Caribou and reindeer
numbers have fluctuated historically, but many herds are in decline across
their range [5]. This global decline is linked to climate change for
northern, migratory caribou and reindeer herds and industrial disturbance of
caribou habitat for sedentary, non-migratory herds [6]. Mikið var þetta nú gott..... Jólakveðja, Fjölskyldan Ågården 57
