Most people outside of the Arctic or the frozen tundra have never even seen a reindeer, let alone know anything about them. Here are a few basic facts.
Most people probably spend very little time thinking about reindeer, except, of course during the Christmas season, when children are regaled with tales of Santa Claus and his famous cervid (of the deer family) sleigh-pullers – Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, Vixen, and unofficially, Rudolf. Also known as caribou –who are technically the largest type of reindeer-these animals are indeed used as beasts of burden, and were probably first domesticated in Europe and Asia some 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Reindeer (rangifer tarandus) are indigenous to the tundra –the cold, sparsely-vegetated plains- of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia, with the largest concentration in the latter area.
Reindeer have thick, furry hides to protect them from the brutal temperatures of their natural habitat. The color varies from brown to gray, with white for the tails and hind quarters. Both genders have antlers, which when fully developed are coated with a furry substance. Reindeer shed their antlers during the winter. The animals’ wide hooves are designed to easily traverse snow, and to help them forage through the snow for the mosses, lichens and shrubs on which they feed.
Reindeer mate in early fall, generally giving birth to a single calf. The gestation period is about eight months. A newborn calf weighs approximately 15 pounds, and reaches maturity at around three years of age. Their antlers sprout after one year, and can achieve a length of five feet. Fully-grown reindeer are about three and a half to four feet at the shoulder, and can weigh over 200 pounds. Males are larger than females.
Reindeer’s vocalizations consists primarily of guttural grunts and bellows. Males have large pouches of skin under their throats which increase the volume, which is used to intimidate other males during rutting (mating) season (Wonderclub.com), during which the males can become very aggressive.
The existence of reindeer is characterized by constant migration, to find food, or to escape predators or harsh weather conditions. Reindeer are very competent swimmers, and entire herds, numbering dozens or thousands of animals, frequently ford rivers. Pregnant females leave the herd to give birth, putting themselves in great danger from predators. In addition to predators such as wolves, threats to wild reindeer populations come from domesticated herds, who compete with them for food, and from encroaching gold and oil mining, particularly in Alaska. Hunting also takes a toll on the reindeer population, and some hunters even use tame reindeer as decoys (NPS).
Sources
“Reindeer/Caribou.”Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. 22 Dec. 1995. National Park
Service. 19 Dec. 2007.
“Reindeer.” Wonderclub.com. 19 Dec. 2007.
“Reindeer.” Bear Country USA. 20 Dec. 2007.
Moore, Clement Clarke. “The Night Before Christmas.” 101 Best-Loved Poems. Ed. Roy J.
Cook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958. 150.
“Reindeer.” Webster’s New World Encyclopedia. 1992.
