Springtime brings a burst of colourful blooms across the tundra of Canada's North, where the barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) can be found in large herds along the wide-open landscape. It is also the calving season, when the female caribou (cow) gives birth to a calf. This precocious offspring is rather quick to stand on its wobbly legs within the first hour of life; before the day is through, it has become steady enough to trot alongside its mother. To improve its chances of survival in its first year, the young stays near its mother for protection from predators such as wolves, grizzly bears and eagles. It is also nursed exclusively for the first month, before it turns to grazing for the flowers, lichens or mushrooms that will build its strength for the coming winter.