Santa's Reindeer Names -
1. Dasher, 2. Dancer, 3. Prancer, 4. Vixen, 5.
Comet, 6. Cupid, 7. Donner, 8. Blitzen
Note: Rudolph was not one of the original reindeer. Rudolph was first
named in the Christmas song "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) - The Reindeer (Caribou) have long been associated
with the Christmas story of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Of
course, the red nose is missing from this picture. They are
accustomed to a White Christmas, since they live in areas where there is
a lot of snow: Canada, Alaska, Northern Europe, Asia, Scandinavia to Siberia
and Greenland. The Reindeer is the only species of deer in which both the
males and the females have antlers. The females have shorter antlers with
fewer branches than the males. Each spring, reindeer shed their antlers
and a new set begins to grow in the summer. During the growing phase, the
antlers are covered with a soft furred skin called "velvet" that
carries the blood supply to this fast growing tissue. Once the antlers
are fully grown the velvet dies and is shed from the now hard antlers.
The Reindeer can weigh 200 to 600 pounds and, at the shoulder, their height can
be 36 to 54 inches high. Their diet consists of grasses, green leaves of
deciduous shrubs, lichens, evergreen and twigs.
Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011 Dee Cyboron
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