Reindeer

Reindeer, common name for a deer native to the subarctic and arctic regions of Europe and Asia. Unlike other deer, both the male and female bear antlers. The antlers of the male are long, branched, and slightly flattened at the tips; the brow tines are well developed. The antlers of the female are smaller and simpler.

Reindeer are sturdy, short-legged animals, having a brownish coat that is dark in the summer and light in winter; the long hairs under the neck, the fur just above the hooves, and the region about the tail are almost white. Reindeer range in height from 87 to 140 cm (34 to 55 in) tall at the shoulder. The animals have large, spreading hooves that enable them to travel on snow-covered areas. They feed on vegetation such as grasses, leaves, mosses, and lichens, obtained by scraping away the snow cover with their antlers and hooves.

For many centuries reindeer have been domesticated in their original habitat, which ranges from Norway into northern Asia. They have been trained to wear harnesses and draw sleds. In addition to their strength, speed, and endurance in pulling sleds over snow, they are also valuable for their milk, flesh, and hides. After they were introduced as economically valuable animals into Alaska in 1887, they thrived so well that they were later introduced into Labrador and northern Newfoundland. These North American forms of reindeer are called caribou.

Scientific classification: The reindeer belongs to the family Cervidae of the order Artiodactyla. It is classified as Rangifer tarandus.