Geophagy of Wild Forest Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus valentinae, Flerov, 1933) in Yakutia

The results of a study of salt licking features in wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus valentinae) using camera traps on two natural salt licks in Southern and Central Yakutia in 2015–2018 are presented. In Southern Yakutia, the highest number of visits to salt licks was recorded in autumn in September–October and occurred mostly in the morning and afternoon, while in Central Yakutia, salt licking activity was higher in June closer to evening and at dawn. The average number of visits per day by animals was 2.3 in Southern Yakutia and 1.4 in Central Yakutia. The duration of salt licking in wild reindeer in Southern Yakutia averaged 4.7 ± 1.0 min, and in Central Yakutia, 3.1 ± 0.4 min. In the snowy season, reindeer licking ice formed on salt licks, as well as gnawing on exposed areas of coastal soil and ice on alas lakes, were observed. The sex and age structure of wild reindeer visiting natural salt licks was as follows: males, 25.6%; females, 74.4%; calves, 17.3%. In Southern Yakutia, females with calves accounted for 20.0% of all visits, in Central Yakutia, 13.6%.