![Reindeer are the only members of the deer family in which both males and females have antlers. [Photo by Trip Lamb]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2020/12/16/NTTN/3c6ec0ab-e70d-44a8-b8db-164936a53df5-REINDEER_-_SVALBARD_-_by_Trip_Lamb.jpg?width=660&height=413&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Which animal is inextricably joined with Santa and Christmas in the minds of youthful and previous? Reindeer, of system.
In 1949, singing cowboy Gene Autry possibly did not believe that that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer would “go down in background,” but he has. The music continues to be the only one in musical history to be No. 1 on the charts one particular week and absolutely off the charts the following. Christmas stories abound in literature, tv specials and Hollywood flicks. Some youngsters might even consider reindeer are as fictional as the Grinch, Frosty, and Rudolph.
Very well, reindeer are as actual as caribou in actuality, they are the identical species — users of the deer spouse and children alongside with elk and moose. Reindeer are denizens of the Arctic tundra from Europe to Siberia. People living in the same habitat in North The united states are called caribou. Nonetheless, regardless of reindeer and caribou being biologically the same, “Rudolph the red-nosed caribou” would have reduced the bar a little bit for what we like in a song.
But all that apart, if Autry ended up alive today, he would also be amazed at the recommendation manufactured awhile again that Rudolph is a woman. Particularly right after making the issue about how the other reindeer “used to snicker and phone him names.” With Saint Nick soon to be on his way, we ought to at least set things straight on this contentious and embarrassing issue about the gender of Santa’s favorite reindeer.
All deer belong to a mammal team recognised as the even-toed hoofed animals, which include things like pigs, cattle, buffalo and goats. And allow us not forget about the major land-dweller of them all, the hippopotamus. Consider a sleigh with 8 traveling hippos. Only members of the deer loved ones have antlers that are shed each yr, rather than horns that remain during the animal’s daily life. Reindeer and caribou are even additional distinctive — women as very well as males have antlers, leading some cynics to the controversial idea that Rudolph may perhaps be female.
The problem has arisen for the reason that female reindeer characteristically lose their antlers at unique occasions of the 12 months than males do. And males improve new antlers prior to mating time. Wild reindeer and caribou mate in the drop, with males partaking in contests and employing their antlers as weapons. They lose their antlers just after the mating season. But right before we insist on a sex adjust for Rudolph, we will do perfectly to don’t forget that virtually all animals show wide variability in characteristics, together with antlers. Hence, some woman reindeer do not have antlers, in spite of the rule that girls usually do. Also, the period in which antlers are dropped varies tremendously. Some people today can have antlers throughout virtually any time of 12 months. Whichever biological explanations lead to normal variability, I see no reason why Rudolph can’t keep his common position as a male reindeer and hold his antlers until finally Dec. 26.
Wild reindeer and caribou are pointed out for forming substantial herds and building very long-selection yearly migrations in look for of foodstuff in the kind of grasses and lichens, also identified as reindeer moss. A large herd gives protection against organic predators — wolves. Thankfully, Rudolph and his 8 reindeer followers (most with names that could be possibly male or feminine) do not have to offer with the likes of wolves, discovering foods in the snow or other perils of living in the wild.
One distinction among reindeer and caribou: reindeer are the only associates of the deer family members to have been properly domesticated. They present meat, milk and cheese, as cattle do elsewhere. Caribou are wild animals hunted by individuals. Reindeer are also applied to pull sleds. You are going to have to ask Santa how they understand to fly.
As with “Rudolph,” Gene Autry possibly did not believe one particular of his other tunes of the 1940s, “In this article Arrives Santa Claus,” would necessarily go down in history either. But it has, and the jolly outdated elf and his red-nosed male reindeer will quickly be up on the rooftop.
Whit Gibbons is professor of zoology and senior biologist at the College of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. If you have an environmental dilemma or remark, e-mail ecoviews@srel.edu.
