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Also known as caribou in North America, the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a species of deer that has the largest and heaviest antlers of all extant deer species. Beyond their sled-pulling potential, reindeer are large hoofed animals that are now considered vulnerable by the IUCN.
See the fact file below for more information on the reindeer or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Reindeer worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
NAMING
- Historically, the Eurasian reindeer and American caribou were treated as different species, although these two are classified as the same genus and species, Rangifer tarandus.
- Reindeer originated from the Old Norse word hreinin, which means “horned animal”. Caribou, on the other hand, comes from the Canadian French and is based on the Mi’kmaq word caliboo, meaning “pawer” or “scratcher”, due to the animal’s digging habit through the snow for food.
DESCRIPTION
- Reindeer belong to the Cervidae family of the order Artiodactyla, or even-toed hoofed mammals, with two large and two small hooves on each foot.
- The reindeer is the only member of the cervid species in which females grow antlers as well as males. Androgens play a significant role in cervid antler formation. The antlerogenic genes found in reindeer are more sensitive to androgens compared to other cervids.
- The antlers’ main beams start at the brow, “extending posterior over the shoulders and bowing so that the topics point forward. The prominent, palmate brow tines extend forward, over the face.” The antlers are usually divided into lower and upper points. These antlers begin to grow on males in March or April and in May or June for females. In late autumn or early winter, males shed their antlers and grow a new pair next summer.
- A reindeer’s fur differs considerably, depending on the individuals and its subspecies and on the season. Reindeer in the north are relatively small and whiter compared to those in the south which are large and darker. The Peary caribou is considered to be the whitest and smallest species in North America, while the boreal woodland caribou of the south is the darkest and largest.
- Their coat has two layers of pelt: a dense woolly undercoat and longer-haired overcoat with hollow, air-filled hairs. Fur is the main insulation factor that lets reindeer manage their core body temperature in relation to their environment.
- Blood circulating into the legs is cooled by blood going back to the body through countercurrent heat exchange (CCHE), a highly effective approach to minimizing heat loss through the surface of the skin.
- Reindeer also possess specifically designed countercurrent heat exchange in their nasal passages, through which the temperature gradient along the nasal mucosa is controlled by physiological means – their noses have nasal turbinate bones that increase the surface area of their nostrils. Incoming cold air is warmed by a reindeer’s body heat before it passes through the lungs and water is condensed from the expired air and captured before it inhales, then used to moisten dry incoming air.
- The reindeer has large feet with bow-shaped, cloven hooves used for walking in snow or swamps.
- Their hooves adapt to the season: in summer when the tundra is soft and wet, their footpads turn sponge-like and give extra traction. In the winter, their pads reduce in size and become compact, exposing the rim of the hoof which cuts into the ice and crusted snow to prevent them from slipping.
- The knees of some reindeer subspecies produce clicking sounds as they walk, which originates in the tendons of the knees. The louder the knee-click, the larger the reindeer subspecies.
HABITAT AND DIET
- Reindeer are designed to stay warm in cold and freezing temperatures. They are native to the tundra and forests of Scandinavia and northern Russia, and were then introduced to Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and Canada.
- Depending on where they live, reindeer are preyed on by golden eagles, gray wolves, brown bears, Arctic foxes, mountain lions, coyotes, lynx, and dholes.
- A healthy adult reindeer is usually free from harm against predators, especially if it belongs in a large herd, where many individuals can protect and watch each other for danger. Young reindeer calves are the most exposed to these threats of predation, aside from old, weak, ill, and injured reindeer, and even exhausted bulls after breeding season.
- Reindeer are ruminants; they are herbivorous mammals that get nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach before digestion, usually through microbial actions. When available, reindeer feed on mosses, herbs, ferns, grasses, and the shoots and leaves of shrubs and trees, especially willow and birch.
- In winter, reindeer eat lichen, also known as reindeer moss, and fungi, shaving the snow away with their hooves. A special enzyme found in their stomach churns down lichen, an energy-rich food. Adult reindeer eat an average of nine to 18 pounds of vegetation daily.
BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION
- Reindeer are social mammals; they travel, feed, and rest together throughout the day in groups of 10 to a few hundred. During the spring, reindeer may establish super herds of 50,000 to 500,000 individuals. The herds usually trace food sources, moving south when food is scarce in winter.
- They communicate with each other through snorts, grunts, and hoarse calls, especially during breeding or mating season. Calves bleat or produce a wavering cry to call their mother.
- After males remove the velvet off their antlers, their body prepares for mating – their neck swells, their stomach draws in, they develop a mane of hair under their neck, and they begin to fight with each other, sometimes leading to death. The winner has the power to choose five to 15 females to be in his group. This season is a strenuous time for males, and they lose up to 25% of their weight. Females that become pregnant abandon the herd in the spring and move to a traditional calving ground where they give birth within a 10-day period of each other, probably in May and June.
- Mother reindeer give birth to one calf, though there might be twins, and three and four have been documented.
- The calf is not covered with spots, unlike other deer species. Newborns can stand an hour after birth, can follow their mother at five to seven hours old, and can run faster than a human at one day old.
- Antlers initially appear as small hair buds when the reindeer reaches two years old. They soon develop into spikes called dag antlers. In their third year, they grow a forked set.
CONSERVATION
- Reindeer are now considered a vulnerable species by the IUCN.
- The reindeer population around the world, including domesticated reindeer, is about five million. Their herd size is determined by population density, predation, overhunting, and diseases such as brucellosis, foot rot, keratitis, and sarcocystosis.
- Despite strict laws on anti-hunting, poaching is still a major threat in Russia. In Finland, illegal logging and winter sporting activities threaten reindeer habitat.
- Humans are also changing the tundra as well, such as expanding oil exploration, industrial development, and increased disturbance from aircraft and snowmobiles.
Reindeer Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the reindeer across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Reindeer worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) which is a species of deer that has the largest and heaviest antlers of all extant deer species. Beyond their sled-pulling potential, reindeer are large hoofed animals that are now considered vulnerable by the IUCN.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Reindeer Facts
- Dear Reindeer
- A Reindeer’s Body
- A Reindeer’s Life
- Santa’s Reindeers
- Facts in a Snowglobe
- Reindeers and Tribes
- Rein(deer)
- How Santa Got His Reindeers
- Conservation Status
- Reindeer Jingle
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Link will appear as Reindeer Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 4, 2021
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.