The mighty reindeer are not only strong and hardy animals. They survive in such conditions in which most people without special training and special equipment could not last a day. But they have to not only tirelessly look for themselves poor food, but also vigilantly monitor the environment so that they themselves do not turn into dinner for some predator.
1. For most of the year, these animals have to earn their own food from under the snow. Scientists have estimated that reindeer begin to starve if the thickness of the snow cover exceeds 0.7 meters – in this case, these animals spend more energy digging it than they get by eating the found prey. 2. Males of reindeer form separate herds, while young individuals keep together with females until they grow up. 3. In captivity, their lifespan is twice as long as in the wild – up to 30 years against about 15. 4. Females of the reindeer, with rare exceptions, give birth to only one deer. 5. During the breeding season, males engage in violent fights with each other because of the females, but they get serious wounds infrequently. 6. The mass of an adult reindeer can exceed 200 kilograms, and the height at the withers can reach one and a half meters.
7. Life in the harsh conditions of the Far North made reindeer completely not whimsical to eat. They eat everything they find, from grass and lichens to bird eggs and small rodents. 8. For all types of deer, the nose is covered with hair, but at the same time it has a bare patch of skin on it. In all but the north – in these animals the nose is completely covered with hair so as not to freeze. 9. Do not freeze in a cold climate reindeer helps a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, which in places reaches 6-8 centimeters in thickness. 10. On hard snow these animals practically leave no traces thanks to the hard hair growing around their hooves. And the hooves themselves are wide – this helps them not to fall into the snow. 11. In most cases, reindeer prefer to live on flat terrain, but they are sometimes met at an altitude of up to 2000 meters above sea level. 12. Already an hour after birth, newborn deer can stand on their feet and move independently. 13. Reindeers are the only mammals on our planet whose eyes can see in the ultraviolet spectrum. Even deer of other species cannot boast of this ability. 14. On average, they go every day in search of food for 20-30 kilometers. 15. Unlike most other types of deer, northern horns have not only males, but also females. 16. Their milk is twice as fat as elk and about five times as fat as cow.
17. In the summer they eat a lot of mushrooms. Northern peoples are aware of this, and they do not even collect edible mushrooms, so as not to deprive the reindeer of their food, on which the survival of many local villages that live by hunting directly depends. 18. Males always lose their horns earlier than females. 19. Reindeer wool is unique in that the wool itself is hollow inside, filled with air. Therefore, it retains heat so well. 20. Most of these animals are found in Russia, but they are found in and in other countries. In North America they are called differently – caribou. 21. Since their horns contain a lot of calcium and other useful substances, the discarded horns do not lie on the ground for long – they are quickly eaten by rodents and insects. 22. Due to their frost resistance, reindeer can even cross the cold northern rivers. There is evidence that they forced water barriers 5-7 kilometers wide. 23. The indigenous inhabitants of the Far North have long domesticated reindeer, and the lives of two dozen peoples are inextricably linked with these animals. 24. The hooves of these animals are noteworthy in that they vary with the time of year. In summer, soft pads grow on them, and by winter they disappear so that the animal does not slip on ice. 25. Reindeers inhabit the taiga and tundra, and tundra individuals are slightly inferior in size to taiga ones.
