Description
2014 $20 FINE SILVER COIN THE CARIBOU
Theme:
The majesty and power of this amazing Canadian species is captured in stunning detail in the Royal Canadian Mint’s world-renowned 99.99% pure silver.
Description:
This $20 coin is 99.99% pure silver, with a weight of 31.39 grams and a diameter of 38 millimetres.
The reverse image by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant features a full colour caribou set in an engraved mountain landscape.
The obverse features Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Special Features:
- A full colour portrait of an iconic Canadian animal set against a fully engraved backdrop.
- The mountain landscape is beautifully engraved and selectively frosted to enhance the sense of depth.
- The Woodland Caribou is the only deer in which both males and females grow antlers, and they can weigh as much as 15kg!
- A great addition to any wildlife or nature collection.
Product Specifications:
Item Number:128955
UPC:6-23932- 05266-6
Face Value:20 dollars
Mintage:8,500
Composition:99.99% fine silver
Weight (g):31.39
Diameter (mm):38
Edge:Serrated
Finish:Proof
Certificate:Serialized
Artist:Trevor Tennant
Packaging:
Coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.
Finished Packaging Size:
67 mm x 67 mm
Complete Certificate Text:
Marathon Migration
The woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is the only member of the deer family in which females also grow antlers. Biologists believe it may be due to the intense competition caribou face digging for lichen and other plants. Antlers are grown and shed annually, but pregnant females will lose their antlers later than males, possibly to gain an added reservoir of calcium for their gestating calves.
The caribou’s antlers are its most striking characteristic. Male antlers can weigh as much as 15 kg and grow 130 cm long to give the caribou quite an imposing stature. In reality, the caribou itself is surprisingly small, measuring roughly 140 cm at the shoulder. This shorter, more compact build is believed to be a specialized adaptation to conserve heat and energy in the cold northern climate.
Caribou live in Canada’s most isolated regions beyond the 49th parallel. They are categorized into three ecotypes based on specific behaviours and adaptations they have developed living in different habitats. The tundra ecotype reigns as the longest land migrant on Earth, spending winter in the boreal forest and moving to the tundra north of the 55th parallel in summer to calve—an astounding roundtrip of 6,000 km per year that beautifully illustrates the vastness that is Canada.
