Fun Facts About Reindeer

There are 22 days until Christmas!  Children all over the world are getting excited about Santa loading up his sleigh with toys and goodies.  They sing songs about his reindeer and imagine them flying through the night sky as they pull Santa's sleigh.  Do Santa's reindeer really fly?  Are the reindeer who pull his sleigh male or female?  Can reindeer really have a red glowing nose?  What do they eat?  Read on to learn the answer to all of these questions and more!

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Fun Facts About Reindeer

1. Reindeer are a kind of deer that live in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions in North America, Europe, Greenland, and Siberia.  Reindeer are known as caribou in North America.

2. There are 14 different species of reindeer.  Two of those species are extinct.  Two other species are considered to be threatened or endangered.  The terms threatened and endangered means those reindeer are 'in danger of becoming extinct.'

3.  Reindeer live in a variety of habitats.  They can be found mostly in the woodlands, tundra, and boreal forests.  A couple of species can be found in the mountains.

4. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers!  This is very unusual because they are the only species of deer in which the females grow antlers.  In all other species of deer, only the males grow them.

5. Reindeer can't fly... but they can have red noses!  Their noses can be red if they have densely packed blood vessels in their noses.  In case you are wondering... no... those red noses do NOT glow!

6. Reindeer have large feet with four toes and hooves.  Their hooves adapt to the seasons.  During the summer their footpads become spongy to give them better traction when they walk.  But in the winter... their footpads become shrink and tighten.  This helps them dig through the snow and ice to get to their food.

7. Reindeer are ruminants, meaning they have four chambers in their stomachs.  They are vegetarians that eat mostly lichens, leaves, and sedges.  On rare occasions, they will eat small rodents, fish, and bird eggs when lichens aren't available.  On even rarer occasions, they will eat their antlers when they fall off.  (Wild reindeer do not eat carrots... maybe Santa's reindeer do...)

8. There are a lot of predators who hunt reindeer.  Wolverines, polar bears, brown bears, and wolves, and prey on reindeer and eat their meat.

9. Reindeer are hunted in Greenland and in North America. They are an important source of food (meat), clothing (pelts), shelter (pelts and bones), and tools (bones).  When a reindeer is hunted, every part of it is used.  The people who hunted the reindeer will not waste any part of it.

10. Are Santa's reindeer make or female?  We don't know.  Older male reindeer lose their antlers during the winter, but the younger males don't.  Svalbard female reindeers keep their antlers throughout the winter as well.  This means Santa's reindeer are either young males or Svalbard females!  What do you think?  Are Santa's reindeer male or female?  Tell us in the comments below!

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