Svalbard Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus

f5 @ 1/320s, ISO:500, Nikon D300S w 300mm and 1.4X tele-converter

"Svalbard Reindeer," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Svalbard reindeer is a small subspecies or species of reindeer found on the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The subspecies is endemic to the islands of Svalbard, where it has lived for at least 5,000 years and has become well adapted to the harsh climate, being found on nearly all non-glaciated areas of the archipelago. By 1925 they had almost gone extinct due to over-hunting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Over recent decades, their population has increased. As of 2019, the total population across the archipelago is approximately 22,000. They are the only large grazing mammal in the European High Arctic.

Sundneset, Svalbard, Norway

08/10/2010