What do you know about Reindeer? Spoiler alert–they’re great at adaptation.
While habitat improvement is, more often than not, one of the multiple benefits generated by climate-smart agriculture practices, the wildlife issue has yet to be discussed nearly enough in our blogs. In an effort to rectify this oversight and with the holidays drawing ever closer, we would like to take this opportunity to provide you with information about the wildlife species most often associated with this holiday season….the reindeer.
You may be asking yourself, just what does all this have to do with climate change, extreme weather, and how it impacts agriculture and rural communities in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas? Well, it’s an example of how adaption (in this case, nature’s adaptation of a species to the cold and frozen conditions of its environment) can help individuals deal with challenging natural resource issues.
While not native to the Southern Plains, the animal species known as the reindeer (more commonly referred to as caribou in North America) are native to the Arctic tundra and forests of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Reindeer were first associated with Santa Clause around the 1820s, but reindeer had been associated with the season for long before that, pre-dating Christmas itself.
These creatures were believed to symbolize creativity, resourcefulness, safe journeying, and endurance through travels. Because of this, it would seem only natural for them to become associated with an individual who travels all around the world to deliver presents.
Regardless of how this all came to be, one thing is for sure–reindeer have some really cool adaptations that allow them to thrive through the winter.
Reindeer have two layers of coat. An underneath layer that is woolly and warm and a top layer of hair that is hollow. These air-filled hairs create an important layer of insulation so the reindeer can keep warm. The hollow hair also allow reindeer to swim well, as they help keep them buoyant. Reindeer are covered in hollow hair from their noses to their feet with split hooves that are able to distribute their weight better. These hooves also have hair that give them more of a grip on frozen land and water.
Reindeer really do have rosy red noses – that is, if you look at them under thermal imaging. Researchers got reindeer to exert energy on a treadmill and then looked at their bodies using a thermal camera to see which areas had the most blood. The thermal images showed that the nasal area looked bright red under the infrared spectrum. Reindeer have 25 per cent more capillaries (little blood vessels) in their noses than humans do. This is to help keep this vulnerable area warm in freezing conditions. These external blood vessels also help to regulate internal body temperature because reindeer can’t sweat.
Both the males and females grow antlers—the only deer species to do so. Male reindeers shed their antlers in late autumn. Females, however, shed their antlers in spring. This fact has led to much debate over whether Santa’s reindeer are male or female. Since Santa’s reindeer have antlers during the northern hemisphere’s winter Christmas period, it could very well be that Rudolph and all the other reindeer are female!
Unlike most mammals, reindeer can see ultraviolet (UV) light. This is handy, since UV light can temporarily burn the eyes of humans and other mammals (this is what causes snow blindness—not good if you’re a reindeer). Reindeer eyes have also adapted to make sense of the snowy landscape by looking for things that absorb UV light. Things that absorb UV light appear black to them in the otherwise white surroundings. Since lichen (small plants that reindeer eat to survive the winter) absorb UV, this adaptation helps reindeer find food. This also helps reindeer avoid predators since urine and fur also absorb ultraviolet light.
These are just few fun facts about these amazing creatures.
Maybe we all can learn a little bit from Santa’s helpers about how adapting to changing conditions can help us better deal with whatever Mother Nature throws our way. Maybe taking a little time to consider how you can better prepare you operation for droughts, floods, fires and freezes can help you better deal with extreme weather changes. If you’re interested in ideas about what to do, you can check out the USDA Climate Adaptation workbook here or you can contact your local USDA Service Center for more information.
Who knows? Maybe like Rudolph you’ll go down in history too.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us here at the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub
