the winter nutrition of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Terrestrial lichen species (mainly Cladonia sp.) Cervidae encompasses many species that have antlers, such as deer, elk, and moose.Scientific research suggests that the reindeer was one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans, around 2,000 years ago.. Plant information Cladonia Rangiferina is also known as reindeer moss, reindeer lichen, because it is a vital source of food eaten by reindeer. evansii — named after North Carolina botanist Alexander W. Evans — has no official common name but it is called Powder Puff Lichen. The generic name of Cladonia Rangiferina derives […] Its most common name is Reindeer Lichen this is because it is a vital source of food eaten by reindeer. It is a slightly colored plant that has a three-dimensional branching with a bushy appearance, belonging to the Cladoniaceae family. It has no roots and receives moisture from rain, morning dew and humid air. (This is yet another "moss" that is really a lichen.) People use reindeer lichen as indicator species to assess the cleanliness of the air. Reindeer lichen is important source of food for caribou, musk-ox and reindeer. dominated the winter and spring diet of reindeer, as well as various dwarf shrub species. During their long adaptation, reindeer have evolved to effectively utilise food composed of lichens, dwarf shrubs, sedges and grass hay by foraging in the snow. Reindeer diet composition was determined by microhistological analysis of faeces collected during winter and spring. C. subtenuis is called Dixie Reindeer Moss. These names, and its highly branched growth pattern known as fruticose are often misleading in its appearance to moss. The result was a concoction known as "stomach ice cream". Reindeer lichen form dense groundcover in the boreal forests which prevents growth of other vascular plants. Some Arctic inhabitants mixed the partly digested lichen from caribou stomachs with raw fish eggs. Lichens contain a lot of easily digestible carbohy-drates (Russell and Martell, 1984) and a diet contain- Reindeer lichen cannot survive in polluted areas. Reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina), sometimes referred to as deer moss, is actually a combination of a fungus and an alga that share a symbiotic relationship. About Reindeer Moss. Reindeer moss, or Cladonia rangiferina, is a fruticose lichen that is a staple food of reindeer and caribou. It has a fine and airy texture and an ovoid shape. Reindeer are classed as Cervidae. Reindeer lichen grows to a height of 1 to 4 inches. The two common “reindeer mosses” found here in central Florida are the Cladonia evansii and Cladonia subtenuis, with the subtenuis — which means thinner — being less compact than Cladonia evansii.C. About the Plant Cladonia rangiferina is also known as Reindeer Moss, Caribou Moss, and Reindeer Lichen.