|
Facts
About Reindeer
|
| ‘Reindeer’ is the
common name for a
deer native to the sub arctic and arctic regions of
Europe and Asia. (The Latin name for reindeer is
Rangifer
tarandus.) |
|
They are sturdy, short-legged animals. They have a brownish
coat that is dark in the summer and light in winter; with
long hair under the neck. The fur just above the hooves and
about the tail is almost white. |
| Both the male
and female have antlers, unlike other deer. The antlers of
the male are long, branched, and slightly flattened at the
tips; the brow lines are well developed. The antlers of the
female are smaller and simpler. |
| They range in height from
87 to 140cm (34 to 55in) at the shoulder. They have large,
spreading hooves that enable them to travel on snow-covered
areas. They feed on vegetation such as grasses, leaves,
mosses, and lichens, which they obtain by scraping away the
snow cover with their antlers and hooves. |
|
Reindeer have been domesticated for many centuries. They
have been trained to wear harnesses and draw sleds. In
addition to their strength, speed, and endurance in pulling
sleds over snow, they are also valuable for their milk,
flesh, and hides. |
|
After they
were introduced as economically valuable animals into Alaska
in 1887, they thrived so well that they were later
introduced into Labrador and northern Newfoundland. These
North American forms of reindeer are called
caribou.
|
