Reindeer vs Caribou

Reindeer and caribou are usually classified as the same species. The difference most readers encounter is geographic: caribou is the name used for wild North American populations, while reindeer refers to Eurasian populations and to herded Rangifer. Recent taxonomic research has proposed dividing some lineages into several species, so the scientific answer remains under review. For an everyday comparison, both names still lead to the circumpolar deer most often identified as Rangifer tarandus.