11 Things You Might Not Know About Reindeer

Beyond their ability to pull sleds and discriminate against those who have them Red nosesWhat do you really know about reindeer? Here are the facts about this arctic Animals.

1. Reindeer and caribou are the same thing.
2. Reindeer has several names.
3. Reindeer were originally connected to Santa through poetry.
4. Santa’s reindeer is most likely R. Tarandus platyrhynchusa subspecies found on Svalbard.
5. It’s not always easy to tell the gender of a reindeer.
6. Santa’s reindeer may or may not be female.
7. Reindeer are the only mammals that can see ultraviolet light.
8. Reindeer evolved for life in cold, harsh climates.
9. Some reindeer migrate longer distances than any other mammal.
10. Reindeer play an important role in indigenous cultures.
11. Reindeer lived in the far south.

Reindeer and caribou are the same thing.

Historically, the Eurasian reindeer and the American caribou were viewed as two different species, but in fact they are One and the same: Rangifer fence. There are two main groups of reindeer, tundra and forest, which are divided according to the type of habitat the animal lives in, rather than its global location. Animals are also divided into nine to 19 subspecies, depending on who is doing the classification.

Reindeer has several names.

Reindeer It comes from the Old Norse word cleanliness, Which collects Cleans (Old Norse name for the animal) and animal (“my dear”). Ibex It is the French-Canadian version of the Mi’kmaq word Calisomeaning “scratch” or “scratch” in reference to the animal’s habit of digging in the snow in search of food.

Reindeer were originally connected to Santa through poetry.

before Clement C. Moore “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (also known as “The Night Before Christmas”) was written in 1823, and no one thought of reindeer in conjunction with Santa Claus. Moore introduced the world to Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (the latter two were later changed from Dutch to German, becoming Donner and Blitzen). While the first six names all make sense in English, the last two in German mean “thunder” and “flash” respectively.

As for Little Rudolph, he was not introduced until catalog writer Robert L. May Book books for children In poetry for his employer, Montgomery Ward, in 1939 entitled “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Santa’s reindeer is most likely R. Tarandus platyrhynchusa subspecies found on Svalbard.

“A visit from Saint NicholasHe describes the reindeer as “small.” The only reindeer that can be considered truly small is the reindeer Svalbard breedswhich weigh about half the weight of most reindeer breeds and are at least a foot shorter in length. They have woolly winter coats, smaller horns, and shorter legs than all other populations. This can be useful when landing on roofs.

Oddly enough, you’ll never see these people in a depiction of a Santa story. Live-action films usually use full-sized reindeer and animation usually draws the creatures as a cross between a white-tailed deer and a reindeer.

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It’s not always easy to tell the gender of a reindeer.

In most deer species, only the male has antlers, but this is not true for most deer species. Although females in some populations do not have horns, Many do. During certain times of the year, you can still tell the gender of a reindeer by checking for the presence of antlers. This is because males lose their horns in winter or spring, while females lose their horns in summer.

Santa’s reindeer may or may not be female.

Since reindeer shed their antlers at different times of the year based on their sex and age, we know that Santa’s reindeer are probably not older males, because older male reindeer lose their antlers in December and Christmas reindeer are always depicted with their antlers on. Female Svalbard deer begin to grow their antlers in summer Keep it all year round. This means that Santa’s sleigh must either be pulled by young reindeer, constantly replaced as they begin to age, or Santa’s reindeer must be female.

Reindeer are the only mammals that can see ultraviolet light.

Humans can see light at a range of wavelengths, from about 700 nanometers (in the red spectrum) to 400 nanometers (in the violet spectrum). Reindeer can see light up to 320 nanometers deep Ultraviolet (UV) range.. This ability allows reindeer to see things in the icy white region of the Arctic that they might otherwise miss — such as seeing the glow of a white object under a black light. Things like white fur and urine are difficult, even impossible, for humans to see in the snow, but for reindeer, they appear with high contrast.

Reindeer evolved for life in cold, harsh climates.

Life on the tundra is hard, but the reindeer’s life is easy thanks to their amazing creatures Evolutionary improvements. Their noses are specially adapted to warm the air they breathe before it enters their lungs and to condense water in the air, keeping their mucous membranes moist. Their fur traps air, which not only helps provide excellent insulation, but also keeps them buoyant in the water, which is important for traveling through huge rivers and lakes during migration.

Even their hooves are distinctive. In summer, when the ground is wet, the pads of their feet become softer, providing them with extra grip. However, in winter, the pads tighten, exposing the edge of their hooves, which they use to provide traction in slippery snow and ice.

Some reindeer migrate longer distances than any other mammal.

Small population Reindeer in North America Travel up 3100 miles Annually, covering about 23 miles per day. At their maximum speed, these reindeer can run at 50 mph and swim at 6.2 mph. During the spring, herd size can range from 50,000 to 500,000 individuals, but during the winter the groups are much smaller, when reindeer enter mating season and competition between antelope begins to divide the crowds. Like many herd animals, baby reindeer learn to walk quickly – within just 90 minutes of being born, baby reindeer can already run.

Reindeer play an important role in indigenous cultures.

Many northern cultures have long relationships with reindeer. In Scandinavia and Canada, reindeer hunting helped keep indigenous people alive, from the Mesolithic and Neolithic to the modern era. In Norway, it is still common to find reindeer pits, guide railings, and arch supports dating back to the Stone Age. In Scandinavia, reindeer meat is still a popular meat, and is sold in grocery stores in its fresh, canned and dried forms. Almost all of the animal’s organs are edible and many are staple ingredients of traditional dishes in the region. In North America, Inuit depend on caribou for food Traditional foodClothes, shelter and tools.

Reindeer lived in the far south.

Reindeer now live exclusively in the northern points of the globe, but when the Earth was cooler and humans were less of a threat, their territories became larger. In fact, reindeer existed as far south as Nevada, Tennessee, and Spain during the Pleistocene. Its habitat has shrunk dramatically in the past few centuries. the The last Ibex In the contiguous United States, it was released to the Canadian Conservation Breeding Program in 2019.

A version of this story was published in 2020; Updated for 2025.