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| Reindeer are also known as Caribou in North America; help protect their future. |
It is at Christmas time that our thoughts are most apt to turn to the reindeer and caribou, for then we see it associated in many ways with Santa Claus and his load of gifts. In Europe, where the reindeer are native as well as in America, Santa uses horses instead of reindeer. Caribou is a name given to a certain kind of reindeer.
The animals known as reindeer have been living upon the earth for a long, long time. Many of the cave homes of the early peoples, in Europe especially, show pictures of reindeer upon the walls, and pieces of bone and ivory have etchings of these animals. The latter are very natural in outline and position. From these we are sure that the animals were used by the cave dwellers. As it is an animal of cold lands only, the climate must have been much colder in Spain and France at that time, than it is today.
One of the first things noticed as one looks at a reindeer is the peculiar type of antlers. A shovel-like horn hangs over the face while two long branching horns rise upwards and backwards. Some people think that the flat antler is used by the animal in securing its food. The reindeer would not fare very well if he had to depend upon that to remove the snow from above his food. Few animals have feet better adapted to the kind of life led. When hungry the feet are used to scrape away the ice and snow to get the juicy moss and lichen growing beneath. During the summer this type of food is not good, so then the reindeer feed on tender roots, berries, grass and mushrooms.
Reindeer or caribou are to the people of the far north what the camels are to the peoples of the deserts. The skin furnishes material for clothing and covers for houses, the flesh gives them meat, the milk is good to drink and makes a most delicious cheese, the horns and bones are used for handles, spoons and other objects which we would make from wood or metal. In many parts of the Arctic region reindeer caravans are the freight trains, just as camels carry great loads across the deserts. A pair of reindeer pulling together can haul from 200 to 400 pounds at the rate of 35 miles a day and keep it up for some time. They are better than dogs during the long Arctic winter as they travel well in the dark. This the dogs cannot do. Reindeer can also be ridden, but until a person has become accustomed to the saddle used and knows how to swing with the reindeer's stride, there is not much pleasure in riding one.
The feet of the reindeer can spread out like snowshoes when walking on soft snow, or the muscles can be contracted and the hoofs and dew-toes drawn together. In this position the legs are like stilts when needed for digging into ice or snow. The feet also have long, stiff bristles which grow downward at the back of the foot and curve up between the two parts making it possible for them to hang on where other animals would slip.
The coat of the reindeer is well-fitted to keep him warm in a cold land. It appears to be composed chiefly of coarse stiff hairs, but a close-up study of his coat shows next to the skin a covering of wiry wool. The outer hairs are barrel-shaped and when the animal is swimming air fills the spaces between the hairs. No other four-footed animal floats as high out of the water as the reindeer, and it takes a very fast canoe to overtake one in the water. The feet also render assistance when swimming.
If you were to take a ride behind a reindeer team would you hear the animals make much noise? Very little. In fact, the mother makes a grunting sound when she wants to call her calf to her or to let another reindeer know where she is, but otherwise she is very silent when being driven. The feet of a herd in motion produce a peculiar crackling sound.
Reindeer have a great deal of curiosity. They investigate all unknown sights. If alarmed they move the long hairs at the end of the body up and down and all animals in sight run to cover. They have poor eyesight, but a marvelous sense of smell. Unlike most animals the wind has an attraction for reindeer. They like to travel directly into the fierce winds of the northland.
In 1892 a small herd of reindeer was imported into Alaska. It was accompanied by several Lapp families. The latter came because the Alaskan natives knew nothing about caring for such animals. Since that time many herds have been established and very fine animals are being sent to the United States. The meat tastes much like beef and brings a good price; the skins are excellent for gloves and coats. So you can be proud of a jacket of reindeer. It is warm, good to look at and will last. Cornell.
Erika Larsen speaks about The Reindeer People.
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