Caribou are the only species of deer in which both sexes have antlers. However, the females antlers are spindly, short and with less "branches" when compared to the males, whose antlers also have a flat, blade-like protrusion just over the head. The adult males lose their antlers in November and December, while the females lose theirs when calving in May or June.
Male Caribou (or bulls) weigh an average of approximately 400 pounds but can be as heavy as 600 pounds. They are small deers, standing as tall as 5 feet, and may be as long as 7.5 feet. The females, or cows, may weigh as much as 300 pounds on average. They stand about 4 feet tall and are about 6 feet in length.
While both male and female caribou resemble each other in color, the male has a distinctive thick white mane under the neck. The rest of the body is cream colored, which darkens as the season gets colder. Both animals have short fur covering their noses. They also grow a dense short fur under their normal longer fur as the weather gets colder.
