Svalbard reindeer, Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus, grazing on icy ground, Longyearbyen
Reindeer have a circumpolar distribution with several subspecies in different areas. The Svalbard reindeer is a small subspecies of Rangifer tarandus. The subspecies found in Svalbard is exclusive to this area. Reindeer are found in virtually all non-glaciated parts of the archipelago. They are most dense on Nordenskiöld Land, Edgeøya and Barentsøya www.npolar.no/en/the-arctic/birds-and-mammals/svalbard-re.... Rain in winter on frozen grounds provide difficult feeding conditions for reindeer. Climate change may contribute to icing of feeding grounds and thereby threaten local populations.
Year: 2015
From album: Sea Ice, Icebergs, Glaciers, Snow and Permafrost in the Arctic Region
Photographer: Peter Prokosch