If there is one animal that sums up Christmas it is the humble reindeer. From those lovable little tails to the pointy little horns they are the ultimate festive animal. But there is a reason Santa chooses reindeer’s to pull his sleigh because they are a very strong and weather resilient animal! But this lot seems to be missing the point of that…
BONUS CONTENT: Top 10 Facts About Reindeer
10 – “I’m not just a Reindeer, I’m super Reindeer!”
FACT: The largest species of reindeer is the Finnish forest reindeer that measures approximately 240 cm in length from nose to tail.
9 – “Yes kid, Rudolph always smells of fish!”
FACT: Reindeer are very much like sniffer dogs and have a strong sense of smell. In fact, it is so good they can find lichen under the snow at 60 centimetres depth!
8 – “Baa, Baa Santa have you any wool? …oh, you do!”
FACT: Remember the start of this post where I said they were a strong and weather resilient animal? Well, reindeer can live quite happily and achieve their maximum speeds even when it is minus 50 degrees Celsius! In fact, their bodies work better the colder it is.
7 – ” You know I make this look fab-ul-ous!”
FACT: All those reindeer’s that are pulling Santa’s sleigh are most probably female! This is because male reindeer shed their antlers at the end of the mating season in early December, but females keep them all year round.
6 – “Can Rudolph run up your trouser legs? I didn’t think so.”
FACT: During winter seasons the reindeer don’t vocalize at all! In fact, it is thought that they only really make their grunting, communication sounds in the first few months of childbirth, staying silent both before and after.
5 – “I know we are all going through hard times, but come on!!!”
FACT: They can handle the cold with ease, but in Canada, Scandinavia and Russia reindeer are short-haired! Rather than having thick, warm fur reindeer are covered with hollow hairs that trap in the air and keep them well-insulated from the elements!
4 – “Is this the face of festive cheer?!? I sure hope you have life insurance.”
FACT: It isn’t quite take-off speed, but most reindeer’s can run at a mind-blowing 48 mph (80 km per hour) and have been known to outrun cheetahs!
3 – “Ho, ho, ho, now put me down and drop the carrots.”
FACT: Caribou holds the record for the longest documented movements of any terrestrial mammal! They are known to travel up to a mind-blowing 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 km) in a year!
2 – “Hi! Are you are the one who asked for a cheep reindeer!”
FACT: Reindeer and Caribou are in fact the same animal! When someone calls one a reindeer it is generally referring to the domesticated variety that are herded by humans and pull a sled.
1 – “I will tell you right now, I ain’t pulling nothing!!!”
FACT: Reindeer numbers have sadly dropped nearly 60 percent in the last three decades due to climate change making their natural habitat much warmer
