Ten Interesting Facts About Reindeer
When people think of
reindeer, they often
visualize Rudolf and his friends
pulling Santa's sleigh. Cute as this image may be,
there is so much more to these
fascinating creatures traditionally from
Europe's northern tundra.
1. In Europe's Reindeer Age 16,000 years
ago, reindeer were abundant. Primitive
humans relied heavily on them for their skins
to keep them warm, meat to sustain them, and bones to create
2. Reindeer are the only type of deer in
which both male and female reindeer have antlers. Female reindeer retain
their antlers until they give birth to their young in the spring.
Keeping their antlers throughout the winter ensures they are able to
compete for food while pregnant. Male reindeer
shed their antlers each winter.
Reindeer are the only mammals that grow
new sets of antlers annually.
3. Reindeer eat certain
types of lichen that grow in sub-arctic climates. These plant
materials help to keep their blood warm so that they can survive the icy
4. The largest reindeer
species, the Finnish forest reindeer, measures
approximately 240 centimeters in length
from snout to tail. Finnish forest reindeer have
longer legs than other reindeer species. They have
adapted to forest life by evolving with wide hooves,
which help them dig through the snow for lichen, and antler pairs
that grow closer together than those of other reindeer sub-species.
These differences help Finnish forest reindeer
move through woodlands unobstructed.
5. To the Sami, the indigenous people of
northern Finland, reindeer are important
animals both in their culture and for
sustenance. They have approximately 400 words for the food, tools and
other products and parts taken from reindeer.
6. In Finland, reindeer herding and
husbandry are occupations
only residents to the area can employ. In other parts of Scandinavia,
reindeer husbandry is restricted to indigenous people.
7. Male reindeer
have much louder calls
than females, especially during rutting
season. When bellowing is necessary, they inflate a
small pouch just under the skin of their
8. Reindeer have a strong sense of smell,
and it's that sense of smell that assist them in finding the lichen
under the snow. They can sniff out the plant material easily, even
through snow that is 60 centimeters deep.
9. Reindeer were built for the snow and
cold. Their bodies react to changes in temperatures by making
adjustments. When temperatures become frigid, they have the uncanny
ability to lower the temperature in their legs to near freezing levels.
This keeps their core body heat even.
For winter grazing they grow their facial
hair long enough to cover their mouths, protecting their muzzles from
10. Reindeer are strong, energy-efficient
running machines. A 20 pound new calf can
outrun a man, and reindeer in general are more efficient than most other
have a long history in culture and myth. That
history has given way to further study to learn about how unique they
are. There is more to reindeer than Christmas ornaments.