A Gift for Santa by Beth Carpenter – 6 Things You Might Not Know About Reindeer

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

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6 Things You Might Not Know about Reindeer

1. Reindeer and caribou are the same animal. In North America, we usually refer to the Eurasian ones, especially if they’re domesticated, as reindeer and the wild herds as caribou. Male reindeer are called bulls, females cows, and babies are calves.

2. Reindeer are the only domesticated deer in the world. Some people consider them only semi-domesticated, but they are naturally docile and comfortable around people. They pull sleds and carts, and are a long-time source of meat, milk, and hides among arctic peoples.

3. The tendons in a reindeer’s feet slide over the bones and produce a clicking noise when they walk. It’s believed this noise helps them locate each other in blizzard conditions and keep the herd together.

4. Reindeer can see ultraviolet light. They’re the only large mammal who can. It helps them locate predators and lichens, which absorb ultraviolet light and appear black against the snow.

5. Reindeer have dense coats of hollow hairs which help insulate them. They can lie in the snow without melting it. The hollow hairs are also buoyant which is one reason reindeer are excellent swimmers. Underneath the outer hollow hairs is a wooly undercoat, so reindeer are well protected from the cold. However, since they don’t sweat, they’re not so good at handling heat.

6. You’ll find antlers on both sexes of reindeer. They’re they only type of deer where the females grow antlers. They shed their antlers each year and grow new ones. The older males shed theirs around November, although some of the youngest bulls with small antlers keep them longer. The females typically keep their antlers until their calves are born in the spring.

Yes, this means if the pictures of reindeer with antlers are accurate, all of Santa’s hardworking reindeer must be female. But considering they deliver packages to children all around the world in a single night without breaking a sweat, you probably already knew that.

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Once upon a time …

when Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on, and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Not a lot has changed. She’s still consuming books like M&Ms, and spends her days creating happily-ever-afters for her imaginary friends.

She lives in Alaska and Arizona with her husband and an aggressively affectionate fifty-pound lap dog. She loves to hear from readers.

Reindeer Prize Pack (US only), which includes:

• Large handcrafted quilted reindeer tote bag
• Signed Copy of The Alaskan Catch
• Reindeer Cookie Cutters
• Inflatable Reindeer Antler Ring-toss Game

$25 Amazon Gift Card (open internationally)