Caribou Migration Update: April 9, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Porcupine Caribou and the Porcupine River
- Meet “Arnaq” and “Tundra”
- Antler Antics: Challenge Question #13
- My Journey North: Darcie’s Arctic Summer
- Baffling Botanical: Challenge Question #14
- Arctic Action Day: Burn Calories Not Fossil Fuels
- An Incredible, Edible Migration Map
- How Big are Bou? Comparing Sizes: Challenge Question #15
- Cupid’s Collar: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
- Zero in Any Language Discussion of CQ’s #11 and 12
- Quote for the Day
- Fact for the Day
Porcupine Caribou and the Porcupine River
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| Caribou Migration Map |
This week’s map shows that most of our Porcupine caribou cows are grazing west of the Richardson Mountains near the Porcupine River. Which came first, the name of the river or the name for the caribou herd? The answer? The river gave its name to the caribou herd. This year it is easy to see how that happened!
Study this week’s map...Or make your own with today's data:
Now that we have lots of data dots on the map you will notice some of the caribou have traveled a great distance since January and some are staying in the same place. Which ones have gone the furthest? Who is happy to say in the same area? Why is there a difference?
Meet “Arnaq” and “Tundra”
This Update brings new names for the 2 other new collared caribou.
“Arnaq” was chosen as the name for the 3rd newly collared caribou this spring. Named by Parks Canada Inuvik. Arnaq means "girl" in the Inuvialuktun language. The Inuvialuit live in northwestern NWT and the Yukon North Slope is part of their backyard. They are one of the traditional user groups of Porcupine Caribou. Pronounced ahg naq, the "r" is silent, it is a more of a rolling the tongue sound.
Darcie Matthiessen, a student who spent the summer with researchers in the Arctic (read more about her summer below) has named the 4th caribou “Tundra.” She explained that she named her caribou "Tundra" because, "this is where the caribou are found (and an amazing place it is!)"
Antler Antics
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Arnaq's antlers are smooth |
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Carmen's antlers have
velvet |
Every year the caribou cast off and re-grow a new set of antlers. The annual cycle of antler growth, velvet, and antler shedding varies with gender, reproductive status and age. Mature bulls begin to grow antlers in early March. By August, antler growth is almost complete. The antlers of large bulls drop off after the October rut and most bulls are antler-less by January. Pregnant cows carry antlers to calving time in late May or early June. Cows begin antler growth about one week after giving birth. Nonpregnant cows and yearlings shed their antlers in April or early May. A few nonpregnant cows carry their antlers into June.
When she was captured the team noticed something interesting about Carmen. If you look closely, you will see that she still has velvet on her antlers. When we compare her antlers to Arnaq’s antlers, there is a distinct difference.
Challenge Question #13:
“Why do you think Carmen would have velvet on her antlers in March when Arnaq's and many others do not? Explain how you came to your answer.”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
My Journey North: Darcie’s Arctic Summer
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Here I am collecting
plant specimens in the arctic |
This past summer Darcie Matthiessen spent her time working with the Porcupine
Caribou Management Board on a number of research projects in the Arctic.
She shares a snapshot of her excitement with hopes that the Arctic may
find a place in the hearts of Journey North’s young scientists.
She writes:
"My name is Darcie Matthiessen and I am a fourth student at University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, BC, Canada. I am currently completing my degree in Natural Resources Management, majoring in Fish and Wildlife.
In the spring of 2002, I decided that I would like to try something new. I applied for a grant to study with biologists and the Porcupine Caribou Management Board (PCMB) where I would learn about caribou, sheep and arctic vegetation."
Find out about Darcie’s experience of a lifetime and try some fun activities related to her writing:
Baffling Botanical
Each year in a very short period of time the coastal plain bursts forth with plant life. The long Arctic days create the perfect stimulus for photosynthesis, and plants can complete their cycle of growth, bloom, fruit and seed in a very short period of time. This is an amazing feat considering if you were to dig down a foot under the surface you would find frozen ground (called permafrost) even in the summer.
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Challenge Question #14 |
Darcie shares one of these plants with us in her picture. It turns out that this plant, or a close relative also grows in the wild in many other parts of North America, too!
Challenge Question #14:
“Study the plant carefully; notice how the plant grows, the leaf form and the type and color of the flower. What is the name of this flowering plant?”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Arctic Action Day: Burn Calories Not Fossil Fuels
Arctic Action Day is a one-day event April 19. This is an initiative of Caribou Commons Project designed to bring awareness about the value of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou. The calving grounds, located on the coastal plain is the most biologically rich part of the Refuge and helps to form one of the last completely preserved ecosystems left in North America.
Caribou Commons Project is an international collaboration of artists, photographers, indigenous people and advocates of protecting ANWR.
Learn more about this special day by visiting:
An Incredible, Edible Migration Map
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Geography: Mountain Ranges,
Rivers and Landmarks |
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Caribou range
cookie map Click for a sample! |
Celebrate your own Arctic Action Day in your classroom and learn more
about the land where the Porcupine caribou migrate.
Where do the Porcupine caribou roam? They know no boundaries. Their home
is the Arctic, a rich and diverse land of mountains and tundra. Study
this wilderness range to learn the paths the caribou travel, then make
a map - an edible cookie - of the land where they roam.
Visit the local grocery store for supplies, wash your hands, and make this huge cookie while you learn about the rivers, landmarks and mountain ranges of the vast land where the caribou roam.
Teacher Tip!
Journey North has provided a “Reading and Writing Connection”
for this edible range map activity.
View the lesson:
How Big are Bou? Comparing Sizes
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enlarge |
First study the data and calculate the answers to these questions:
- What is the average body weight for these 6 caribou?
- What is the average total length?
Now, using the information you calculated, how would you answer these?
Challenge Question #15:
"1. The average caribou in this study has an average total length of _______. The average total width (wing tip to wing tip) of a monarch butterfly is about 10 cm. How many butterflies lined up wing tip to wing tip would it take to span the length of caribou?”
2. An adult female Gray whale is about 50 feet long. How many cm is this? How many caribou lined up would equal length of a female Gray whale?
3. Assuming an adult Gray whale weighs 36 tons, how much more, in pounds, does it adult weigh than a caribou cow? (Remember, 2000 lbs = 1 ton)
4. A monarch butterfly weighs about 0.5 grams. How many butterflies would equal the weight of one caribou cow?"
(To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.)
Cupid’s Collar: Our Expert Defines Terminology of Caribou’s Age
To answer the question, “What percent of her expected life span has she worn the collar?" we had to first define just how long she is expected to live.
Our Caribou Expert, Don Russell of the Canadian Wildlife Service wrote to help us understand more about terms scientists use to describe caribou age. Don explains:
“Three terms are often used ‘life span’, ‘life expectancy’ and ‘longevity.’
"‘Life expectancy’ means how long on average newborns can expect to live based on the whole population. Obviously as with most species the very young and the very old die at higher rates then the rest of the population. So on average a newborn can expect to live for 4.5 years, but in reality if she/he survives the first year then his/her chances are good that they will live for more than 4.5 years, i.e. his/her ‘longevity’ could be 13 years - the age attained when an individual eventually dies.
"‘Life span’ is a mix of the 2 terms - ‘average life span’ is the same as ‘life expectancy’ of the population, whereas an individual life span for a species is really ‘how old can they get’ - in this case 13 years and is the same as ‘longevity’”
Back to our Challenge Question #10; with an average life span (longevity)
of 13 years, Cupid wore the satellite collar for almost half of her life.
Students were more accurate than this, however with answers that correctly
stated that Cupid wore the collar for 46% of her life. Great Job!
Even though it is sad to lose the data on her I bet Cupid is very happy
to be free from the collar, wouldn’t you be?
Zero in Any Language Discussion of CQ’s #11 and 12
Playing with temperature scales can be challenging, especially when we add the Kelvin scale to the puzzle. Our first question seemed straightforward: “It was a beautiful day yesterday with sunny skies and a balmy temperature of 297 K! What was the temperature in degrees C and F?"
Aaron, Ashley, Ben,and Corey from Pymatuning Valley in Andover, OH gave us their correct answer:
“297 K = 23.85 C = 74.93 F
We figured it out using ratios and then used the temperature conversion website to check it.”
Ryan from Mrs. Erdmann's class at South O'Brien
and Brittany and Joel from Port Washington High School also calculated
correctly. Thanks to all of you who sent your calculations.
And for that extra challenge, here's another
riddle we offered for you to solve: Challenge Question #12:
"If it's zero degrees F today and it is forecast to be twice as cold
tomorrow, what will the temperature be tomorrow? (hint: think Kelvin,
C, and F)"
The key to answering this question lies in the Kelvin scale, which was created to make the science of temperature dynamics simpler to use. In degrees Kelvin (K), 100K is twice as hot as 50K. Since our question asks what the temperature would be if it were twice as cold, you need to calculate the problem using the Kelvin scale and then convert to C and F.
0 Degrees F = -18 degrees C and 255 degrees K.
- You must begin with the Kelvin number, 255K: Twice as cold would be 127K (half of 255K). Notice as it gets colder the number gets smaller.
- Now, using a temperature converter, 127K = -146C and -230F
Cheers to students who tried to solve this tricky question; Lashawn and Michael at Iselin Middle School, Brittany and Joel from Port Washington High School and Ben, Ashley, Corey and Aaron from Pymatuning Valley Middle School.
Quote for the Day
“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of our technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”
– President Lyndon B. Johnson, upon signing The Wilderness Act of 1964
Fact for the Day
The average distance that a Porcupine caribou travels during migration each year is 3000 km.
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-caribou@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #13 (or #14 or #15).
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Caribou Migration Update Will Be Posted on
April 23, 2003.
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