Reindeer

Share Top Five November 8, 2018

The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic, tundra, boreal and mountainous regions of northern Europe, Siberia and North America. This includes both sedentary and migratory populations. Rangifer herd size varies greatly in different geographic regions. The Taimyr herd of migrating Siberian tundra reindeer in Russia is the largest wild reindeer herd in the world, with numbers varying between 400,000 and 1,000,000. What was once the second largest herd is the migratory boreal woodland caribou George River herd in Canada, with former variations between 28,000 and 385,000. As of January 2018, there are fewer than 9,000 animals estimated to be left in the George River herd as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The New York Times in April 2018 similarly reported of the disappearance of the only herd of southern mountain caribous in the lower 48 states, with an expert calling it “functionally extinct” after the herd’s size dwindled to a mere three animals,more info:wiki

Below are photos and Images you may like:

#10 12 things you never knew about reindeer,more info:countryfile

A popular image of reindeer is of Santa Claus’s sleigh being pulled through the snow by reindeer. However, there is a lot more to know about these interesting animals.

Our guide to British reindeer looks at where you can still see reindeer in the UK, plus interesting facts about the species and how they became associated with Christmas.

When did reindeer become extinct in Britain?

Until the 13th century, wild herds of reindeer could be found roaming freely in Scotland until the species was hunted to extinction. Reindeer became extinct in the UK about 800 years ago because of hunting, the Vikings are thought to have hunted them – but also due to climate change. That’s a couple of hundred years after the last brown bear perished – but long before the last wolf, which is thought to have been killed in 1860.

#9 Meet the Reindeer £30.00,more info:dartmoorzoo

#8 Next Christmas Leave Dry Oatmeal for the Reindeer,more info:hoosieragtoday

So can reindeer really fly? Well if you ask a reindeer farmer that question you’ll hear, “Oh, yes reindeer can fly, but only on Christmas Eve because if anybody saw them flying where they shouldn’t, then they would try to capture them and keep them on for themselves.”

Yvonne and Daryl Simon have been raising reindeer for 21 years on their farm in southern Minnesota. Daryl says they are now what you call reindeerologists.

#7 How did Santa’s reindeer get their names?,more info:oxforddictionaries

#6 Scientists Fear Climate Change Is Killing the Arctic’s Reindeer,more info:time

#5 REINDEER, ROE OR RED: HOW TO RECOGNISE YOUR BRITISH DEER,more info:cairngormreindeer

Our largest species of deer, and in fact our largest land animal, is the red deer. Named for their beautiful reddish brown summer coats, red deer are native to the UK and are a herd animal preferring to live in woodland with open rides. However, as humans have altered the countryside over the centuries, they have adapted to living on moors and heaths, though the red deer of the Scottish highlands rarely grow as big as their cousins in the lowlands. Red deer are found across the UK, and are best recognised by the combination of their large size (they are big!), their buff rump and short tail. They’re also likely to be seen in herds rather than on their own.