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Yes, it's an "official" general name for ALL kinds of reindeers (i.e. you'll find them in any Russian encyclopedia under this name).

For example, Russian wikipedia goes like this:
Nothern...

They are different subspecies, but for casual conversation it hardly matters.
reindeer = северный олень (see my prev. post for details)
But please note that you can't call Russian reindeers...

I believe most Russians who have ever been interested in animal life and/or read books about Indians know what Caribou is. I knew it since I was a child. :upset:

Anyway, the word...

КАРИБУ [kah-ree-boo] ('А' as in 'car', 'И' as in 'seed" and 'У' as in "book")