| According
to the experts, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers
in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at
the beginning of winter— usually late November to mid December.
Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth
in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition
depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them had to
be a female.
Reindeer
and caribou are the only deer (Cervidae) where males, females,
and calves produce antlers. Substantial growth of calf and
female antler can be obtained with good nutrition. Like other
deer, reindeer shed their antlers annually. New antler growth
in the spring and summer is nourished by a highly vascular
covering called velvet which is shed in August. Bull antler
hardens (ossifies) in June and cow antler in July. The primary
function of antler is for gaining social dominance. The reindeer
has wide, spreading hooves, an adaptation to travel in deep
snow. When walking, reindeer make a peculiar cracking noise
produced by a tendon in the foot.
A
member of the deer family, reindeer live in the northern parts
of Europe, Asia and North America, surrounding the Arctic
(the Arctic Circle). The North American varieties of reindeer
are called caribou. Reindeer means "running deer"
in one northern European language. They stand about four feet
tall at the shoulder. Their typical color is grayish brown,
but some domesticated reindeer are white.
For centuries, domesticated reindeer have served indigenous
peoples including the Lapps in Norway, and the Tungus and
Chukchi tribes in eastern Siberia. Reindeer have provided
them with milk, butter, cheese, meat and clothing. They are
also trained for riding and harnessed to pull a loaded sledge.
Norway, Sweden and Finland are reindeer countries. And ever
since Clement Moore wrote his heart-warming verses, "'Twas
the night before Christmas," in the nineteenth century,
the image of reindeer became inseparable from Saint Nicholas
(Santa Claus).
While
domesticated reindeer are quite popular, their wild cousins
still roam the vast frozen tundra in large herds. In the wild,
reindeer mainly feed on a kind of lichen called "reindeer
moss." In captivity they are given a specially manufactured
diet, supplemented with high quality hay.
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