Keeping Caribou Warm

Caribou have unique hairs that provide them with excellent insulation due to their ability to trap air.

 Picture from Minnesota Zoo

Keeping them warm in cold climates, these unique hairs also help keep them afloat in water.  Caribou tend to be very strong swimmers and are able to move across rushing rivers and even frozen ice with ease.

Caribou Shoes

Much like women who change their shoes from boots in the winter, to sandals in the summer, Caribou hooves change with the season.

Picture from Tumblr

In the summer, when the tundra is soft and wet, the footpads become sponge-like and provide extra traction. In the winter, the pads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hoof, which cuts into the ice and crusted snow to keep it from slipping. This also enables them to dig down through the snow to their favorite food.

Why Did Santa Choose Reindeer?

You know Dasher and Dance and Donner and Blitzen and all the rest of Santa's reindeer. But how much do you really know about these Christmas icons? The Jungle Store did a little digging and found out some pretty interesting tidbits.

So why did Santa choose reindeer as his method of transportation? Perhaps he was following tradition; Reindeer have been herded for centuries and used for transportation (though there's no word on how exactly Santa gets his to fly, other than Christmas magic).

 
Reindeer also have several features that make them well-equipped to work in the cold North Pole weather. They have specialized nasal bones that increase the surface of their nostrils, which helps them warm up the air they inhale before it reaches their lungs. And their hooves adapt to the winter weather, with hoof pads shrinking and tightening, allowing them to cut and dig through ice and snow to help them travel and find food.

Did you know that Santa's reindeer are all girls? They have to be, because male reindeer lose their antlers in the winter.

Reindeer & Caribou

Reindeer, known as caribou in the United States and Canada, are a type of deer indigenous to the northern regions of North America, Greenland, Asia and Europe, and are a well-known component of the story of Santa Claus. There are 9 subspecies of caribou, most of which represent the only types of deer in which both sexes grow antlers. 

The size of caribou depends largely on sex and subspecies. Female reindeer usually weigh between 170-260lbs, with males ranging from 200-700lbs; both sexes are between 33 and 59 inches tall at the shoulders. Compared to their body size, caribou have extremely large antlers. Males can possess racks up to 39 inches in width and 53 inches in beam length. The only deer with larger antlers is the moose. All species of caribou have insulated double-layer coats and are well suited to brutally cold life on the tundra.

Caribou are migratory animals, and venture farther each year than any other terrestrial mammal; sometimes over 3000 miles in a year. The herds during these migrations can contain up to 500,000 animals. Reindeer are very capable at covering ground, with an average traveling distance of 12-34 miles per day. They are excellent sprinters as well, and can run at speeds up to 50mph. Water is frequently and easily traversed on migration routes, as reindeer can swim at speeds in excess of 6mph.

Caribou and reindeer are ruminants, and eat primarily tundra grass in the summer. In the winter, lichen is their main food source, but they have also been known to consume leaves, seeds, eggs, and small rodents.

Reindeer have been hunted by native peoples since nearly the beginning of human history. Their meat and fur is a staple in northern tribal life, where most species are still actively hunted. Though never fully domesticated like horses or working dogs, reindeer have been used throughout history as draught animals to pull sleds. However, the vast majority keep their hooves on the ground!

Reindeer Travel Far

To get in the holiday mood, I wanted to write about caribou, otherwise known as reindeer. They are the only deer where both males and females have antlers, although not all females actually have them. During the spring, caribou herds travel north sometimes more than 600 miles. Once they reach their destination, an adult caribou can eat up to 12 pounds of food every day in the rich northern tundra of North America, Europe, Asia and Greenland. After the first snow fall, these same caribou travel back south, sometimes up to 1,600 miles.

On the Hoof

Since it’s the season where reindeer are frequently mentioned, this week I thought I’d focus on hoofed animals—starting with the reindeer, but I’m not talking Rudolph. Wikipedia says reindeer and caribou are the same animal, but my other research gives conflicting answers, so I’ll discuss them separately.

In Russia and Scandinavia reindeer are domesticated. Wild reindeer are found in Norway.

Reindeer are good swimmers. Both male and females have antlers. Reindeer eat lichen, mosses, grass, birch and willow leaves, mushrooms and other tundra plants.