Why do they say Rudolph has a red nose? Reindeer have a dense network of blood vessels in their noses, carrying red, oxygen-rich blood. It helps keep the nose surface warm and regulate body temperature.
Reindeer are built for the cold. Their noses warm up air before the air gets to their lungs, and their entire bodies – including their hooves – are covered with fur. In the winter, reindeer must dig through the snow to find food. They dig using their antlers and munch on energy-packed lichens called reindeer moss.
Reindeer are strong and fast swimmers. When migrating, they travel through harsh terrain, and swim though wide rushing rivers and even the frozen ice water of the Arctic Ocean.
Their footpads adapt according to the seasons: In winter, their footpads contract and tighten, becoming a bit like an ice-pick which they use to cut through surface ice and snow in order to dig through to food below. In summer, when the ground is soft and wet, their footpads expand again, giving the reindeer better traction.
These animals are part of the deer family, or Cervidae, which includes deer, elk, moose and wapiti. Like others in their family, reindeer have long legs, hooves and antlers.
Reindeer are also called caribou, depending on their location. They are called reindeer in Europe, but in North America, reindeer refers to Eurasian populations, and caribou refers to wild populations in North America.
Reindeer are found in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Europe and northern Asia in tundra, mountains and woodland habitats.
Some scientists think that the reindeer was one of the first domesticated animals. It was first domesticated around 2,000 years ago.
These animals are the only type of deer in which both the male and female reindeer grow antlers. These antlers fall off and regrow every year.
Male reindeer lose their antlers in November, but females keep theirs much longer. This means that Santa Claus' reindeer must have all been female, since they are depicted as having horns on December 24.
A male's antlers can grow up to 51 inches long and weigh up to 33 pounds – that’s the weight of an average 5-year-old child! A female's antlers can grow up to 20 inches.
Reindeer are very social creatures. They feed, travel and rest in groups called herds. These herds can include from 10 animals to a few hundred. In the spring, herds can get even bigger – from 50,000 to 500,000 members!
Reindeer are herbivores, meaning that they eat only vegetation. Their diet can include herbs, ferns, mosses, grasses, shoots, fungi and leaves.
Male reindeer are called bulls, females are called cows and babies are called calves – just like cattle!
Calves are able to stand after their first hour of life, and are able to run shortly after that first hour! They start their first set of antlers around their second birthday.
Cultural References
Reindeer represent safe travels, strength and endurance, because they survive in harsh environments. They have a status of nobility in some cultures in arctic areas.
Reindeer first became associated with Christmas through the poem “A visit from St. Nicholas”, which was written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore. The poem is largely responsible for some of the images we have today of Santa Claus and his reindeer. The use of reindeer to pull Santa’s sleigh evokes the use of reindeer as traditional draft animals.
In the poem, the original team of reindeer which pulled Santa’s sleigh were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
The story of Rudolph was a separate story written by Robert L. May in 1939 as a children’s story. Due to its popularity, boosted by the song “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”, Rudolph was later accepted as being a part of Santa’s team.
Sources: Animal Friends pet insurance, Live Science, San Diego Zoo.
