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The Porcupine caribou or Grant's caribou (''Rangifer tarandus granti'') is a subspecies of the caribou found in Alaska and adjacent parts of Canada. It resembles the subspecies, barren-ground caribou (''R. t. groenlandicus''), and is sometimes included in it.〔Cronin, M. A., M. D. Macneil, and J. C. Patton (2005). Variation in Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite DNA in Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in North America. ''Journal of Mammalogy'' 86(3): 495–505.〕 Migratory caribou herds are named after their birthing grounds, in this case the Porcupine River, which runs through a large part of the range of the Porcupine herd. Though numbers fluctuate, the herd comprises approximately 169,000 animals (based on a July 2010 photocensus).〔 They migrate over a year between their winter range and calving grounds on the Beaufort Sea, the longest land migration route of any land mammal on earth. Their range spans the Alaska/Yukon border and is a valued resource cooperatively managed by both the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Canadian wildlife agencies and local aboriginal peoples. They are the primary sustenance of the Gwichʼin, a First Nations/Alaska Native people, who traditionally built their communities based upon the caribou's migration patterns. They are also routinely hunted by other peoples, including the Inupiat, Inuvialuit, Hän, and Northern Tutchone. Unlike many other ''Rangifer tarandus'' subspecies and their ecotypes, the Porcupine herd is stable at relatively high numbers, but the 2013 photo-census was not counted by January 2014.〔 The peak population in 1989 of 178,000 animals was followed by a decline by 2001 to 123,000. However by 2010, there was a recovery and an increase to 169,000 animals. == Arctic National Wildlife Refuge == (詳細はoil exploration, drilling and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge since 1977.〔Shogren, Elizabeth. ("For 30 Years, a Political Battle Over Oil and ANWR." ) ''All Things Considered''. NPR. 10 Nov. 2005.〕 The controversy focused on a subsection on the coastal plain, known as the "1002 area". Of particular concern is the effect on the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou.〔Mitchell, John. ("Oil Field or Sanctuary?" ) ''National Geographic'' 1 Aug. 2001.〕 The area for possible future oil drilling on the coastal plains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, encompasses much of the Porcupine caribou calving grounds. Migratory caribou herds are named after their birthing grounds, in this case the Porcupine River, which runs through a large part of the range of the Porcupine herd.〔〔 In 2001, some biologists feared development in the Refuge would "push caribou into the foothills, where calves would be more prone to predation."〔 Though numbers fluctuate, there were approximately 169,000 animals in the herd in 2010.〔〔 Their annual land migration between their winter range in the boreal forests of Alaska and northwest Canada over the mountains to the coastal plain and their calving grounds on the Beaufort Sea coastal plain,〔 is the longest of any land mammal on earth. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Porcupine caribou」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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