It looks like we can add another surprising caribou fact to the list: they are excellent rafters.

Scott Lindsey of the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center recently watched as a group of caribou (also known as reindeer) slowly drifted down the Porcupine River in Yukon, Canada atop a floating ice sheet.

Each year, as summer arrives and sends winter packing, the once-frozen river begins to thaw, separating the solid river-top into small patches of ice. These caribou probably landed up adrift simply because they happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

According to Dayna Lord, who recently captured another rafting-reindeer video, seeing caribou or other animals trapped during the ice breakup is no cause for alarm.

"We've seen another bunch jump off the ice and run up the bank," she said. "A lot of people feel bad, but it's just something that happens every year."

Caribou are great swimmers and are well equipped for life in the frozen winter. Like many mammals adapted for life in the freeze, they have two layers of fur: a soft layer of under-fur, toped with a layer of unique 'guard hairs' to trap bubbles of air. This trapped air provides the caribou with some much-needed insulation and buoyancy.

For this particular herd, the Porcupine River is the only body of water standing in their migratory path. After this icy float, it should be nothing but smooth sailing as they move north for the summer. 

If you have any updates on the porcupine caribou herd, send us a tweet @earthtouch!