Reindeers are animals who are famous as Santa’s animals.
Reindeers are animals which love winter and are known as Santa’s animals.
- According to the myth, reindeers are supposed to fly, but they don’t.
- They do have red noses sometimes though.
- The most famous Santa’s reindeer is Rudolph.
- There is also a song for children named Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.
- They belong to the deer family or Cervidae.
- It was first domesticated 2.000 years ago.
- Some scientists believe reindeer was the first animal that was used as a “pet”.
- Many Arctic societies still rely on this animal for food, clothing, and materials for shelter.
- Normally, females are smaller than males.
- Reindeer are found in cold places.
- These places can be Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Europe and northern Asia in tundra, etc
- Reindeers enjoy socializing.
- They feed, travel and rest in groups called herds.
- The herds can include from 10 animals to a few hundred.
- The reindeers are herbivores which means no meat!
- In winter they dig into the snow in order to find food.
- Females are “pregnant” approximately 7.5 months.
- They usually give birth to only 1 child at a time.
- A baby reindeer is called a calf.
- At birth, it weighs 2.5 to 9 kg.
- Calves are able to stand after their first hour of life.
- In a week they start eating solid food in addition to their mother’s milk.
- Both males and females grow antlers.
- Males lose theirs in November.
- Females keep their own antlers for a longer time.
- Their noses warm up air before it gets to their lungs and their entire bodies.
- They can run very fast and more specifically they can run up to 80 km/h.
- The original team of reindeer which pulled Santa’s sleigh were: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, according to a really popular poem.\
- On average they live for 15 years in their natural habitat.
