On the early history of the wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) in Finland

This paper discusses the early migration of the wild reindeer into Finland. Reindeer bones found in dated archaeological contexts suggest that the two subspecies, the mountain reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) and the forest reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus fennicus Lönnb.), were part of our fauna as early as c. 9000 BP and 7000 BP, respectively. The mountain reindeer may be descended from the European Pleistocene reindeer, and may have migrated into northern Finland via the west coast of Norway. The forest reindeer invaded Finland directly from the east, from its glacial refugia in Siberia. During the Holocene, the distribution ranges of these two subspecies fluctuated in accordance with climatic and vegetational changes in northern Finland.