Reindeer
\nThe
Reindeer, known as
Caribou in
North America, is an
Arctic-dwelling
deer (
Rangifer tarandus).
Reindeer are primarily found in a
domesticated state in northern
Scandinavia and
Russia and are found in the wild in
North America,
Greenland and
Iceland. Subspecies include:\n*
Svalbard Reindeer (
R. tarandus platyrhynchus) which are found on
Svalbard is the smallest species of reindeer.\n*
European Reindeer (
R. tarandus tarandus)\n*
Finnish Forest Reindeer (
R. tarandus fennicus)\n*
Woodland Caribou (
R. tarandus caribou) which are found in North American woodlands as far south as
Maine and
Washington. Woodland Caribou have disappeared from most of their original range and are considered "
threatened" where they remain.\n*
Peary Caribou (
R. tarandus pearyi) which are found in the islands of the
Canadian Arctic.\n*
Barren-ground Caribou (
R. tarandus groenlandicus) which are found in northern Canada. This is the most numerous species in North America.\n*
Grant's Caribou (
R. tarandus granti) which are found in
Alaska and northwestern Canada.
The weight of a female varies between 60-170 kg. In some species of reindeer, the male is slightly larger; in others, the male can weigh up to 300 kg. Both sexes grow horns, which (for the Scandinavian race) for old males fall off in December, for young males in the spring and for females during the summer. The horns typically have two separate groups of points (see image), a lower and upper. They mainly eat
lichens in winter, especially
reindeer moss. However, they also eat the leaves of
willows and birches, as well as sedges and
grasses.
An unusual feature of the reindeer is that it has front teeth only on its bottom jaw; there are
molarss on both the top and bottom.
In
Sami, the male sex is named "sarves", a castrated bull (which in old time was performed by a bite) "hierke" and the female sex is called "vaia". The name "Caribou" is thought to come from a
Mi'kmaq word that means "one that paws (the ground)".
Natural threats to caribou include avalanches and the predators
wolves, wolverines, lynxes,
bears, etc. In pre-historic times in Europe, humans hunted them, too. Wild caribou are still hunted in North America.
In the wild, caribou migrate in large herds between their birthing habitat and their winter habitat. Their wide hooves help the animal move through snow and tundra; they also help propel the animal when it swims.
There are an estimated 5 million reindeer, mainly in a domesticated form. The reindeer has an important role for all circumpolar peoples, i.e.
Sami,
Nenets,
Khants,
Evenks,
Yukaghirs, Tjuktjer and Korjaker in Euroasia. Siberian herders also use the reindeer to ride on. (Siberian reindeer are larger than their Scandinavian relatives.) The numbers of Russian herders has been drastically reduced since the fall of the
Soviet Union. The meat is sold, which is an important source of income. Reindeer were introduced into
Alaska near the end of the
19th century; they interbreed with native caribou species there.
Popular
Christmas myth has it that they are used by
Santa Claus to move his
sleigh around during his trip to distribute
toys to
children on the
night before Christmas. Because of this, they are often associated with the
holiday.
Fictional reindeer include:\n*
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer\n* Donner, Blitzen and others in
A Visit From St. Nicholas
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