Reindeer games
Let’s see here, there was Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen; Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Of course let’s not forget Rudolf, the “most famous reindeer of all.”
That’s right, Christmas is only a day away. And who can think about Christmas without thinking about the reindeer who annually pull Santa’s sleigh.
To be honest, I’m not sure why Santa chose these particular cervids to transport him from housetop to housetop on Christmas Eve. However, they are of such of importance in the role of Ole’ Saint Nick that people have sung about them for generations.
That in mind, I thought this would be a great time to do a little research, and learn a few more interesting facts about reindeer. And who knows. We might even come to a conclusion as to exactly why Santa chose this particular species to pull his sleigh.
According to http://www.pbs. org, reindeer are the same species as caribou. And although Rudolf is most often portrayed as “thin” and “wimpy,” reindeer are actually thick bodied with big hooves and square noses.
Rudolf and his like are no different from the whitetails that we see right here in our backyards in the sense that they, too, sport and shed antlers on an annual basis. However, there is one huge difference that is worthy of mention. Antlers are not exclusive to bucks in the reindeer world. That’s right, the females grow these bone-like head ornaments also. However, each sex sheds their antlers at different times of the year.
There are 14 subspecies of reindeer, two of which are extinct. All remaining species live primarily in the arctic, where the difference in the seasons is far more noticeable than what we are accustomed to experiencing here in Arkansas. The winters are much darker and colder than during the summer months. In turn, reindeer’s very existence is dependent upon their ability to change with the seasons.
Their hooves are soft during the warmer months of the year. But as winter nears, they begin to harden, and become sharp. Without this transformation, they could not effectively break through ice and forage for vegetation.
Their eyes also adapt to the wintertime conditions, as the tapetum — the section of eye directly behind the iris — changes from a gold color in the summer to a blue in the winter. Evidently, this transformation helps them see better during darker conditions.
Of course, an ability to handle the arctic temperatures is also of great significance. I don’t suppose many find it surprising that reindeer have a dense undercoat of hair. However, some might find it interesting that their top coat consists of hollow hairs. These hairs are air filled and actually allow them to float, which can come in handy during migrations. It is suggested that “some populations travel up to 3,000 miles and swim long distances along the way.”
Well, after learning a few interesting facts about reindeer, I have a little better understanding of why Santa chose them to pull his sleigh. And although I found no scientific data supporting bright, red shiny noses, that really matters not. As I suspect, ol’ Rudolf will remain a hero and Christmas icon for years to come.