Reindeer (also known as caribou) is a member of the deer family that lives in the tundra, northern forests and mountains of the extreme cold north. In human culture, it is the main product of northern mythology and art, the motive that decorates the coats of arms, and an important part of the Christmas tradition. The names reindeer and caribou are pretty much interchangeable, but depending on where you live, there may be different naming conventions. In Europe and Asia, these animals are always called reindeer, but in North America they are called caribou in their wild habitat and reindeer at home.
There are 14 recognized subspecies in the wild, as well as two extinct subspecies, each with its own distinctive appearance and location. Populations appear to be declining in some places due to human activities, including climate change and the loss of boreal forests; It is currently classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List, at least in the wild.
Antlers are the largest and most prominent feature of the deer family. These are large branching bones that grow from the crown. Some people may accidentally mistake them for horns, but the main difference is that horns are made from another substance called keratin, which is also found in hair and nails. Another important difference is that the horns go through an annual cycle of shedding and growing, whereas the horns usually persist throughout the life of the animal (although the pronghorn is an exception).
Horn life cycle
This growth process begins around February, when the first tubercles of the horns appear on the crown. In the spring and early summer, they will grow about half an inch a day, curving back along the head and forming a kind of C. The summer months also herald many other distinctive changes in deer anatomy, including browner fur, golden eyes, and softer hooves. At the same time, soft, but thick, velvety fur begins to grow on the horns, containing a huge number of tiny blood vessels and nerves that facilitate further growth.
This velvet will remain on the horns for the next several months until the horns reach their maximum size. Starting around the first week of August, the reindeer will strip or rub off the velvet layer from their antlers, leaving behind a hard and sharp bone in preparation for the mating season in October and November. The scientific term for this period of sexual arousal is rut. Males use their large horns to compete with each other for access to females during the rut. This clash of forces is achieved by clutching the antlers together and trying to push the other deer out of the way. The weaker male usually yields to the fight, thereby refusing access to mates. The largest and most dominant males can collect from five to 15 females in one season.
When the rut is completely over, the deer will start shedding antlers again in November or December. This is accompanied by several other anatomical changes, including the growth of a white winter coat, strengthening of the hooves to pass ice and plant food, and a change in the color of the iris from gold to blue. By the end of the year, the males will have completely shed all their horns.
Horn size and sex differences
While antlers are primarily a male tool, the reindeer is the only member of the deer family in which females can also grow antlers. The floors can be distinguished from each other by the size and shape of the horns. Male horns have more branching points and have ray lengths ranging from 39 to 53 inches, while female horns are only about 20 inches in size and tend to have a simpler structure.
Another important difference is that females tend to retain their horns long after the mating season, shedding them only in the spring, until the cubs are born. The size of the female horns can help determine the same sex hierarchy and access to preferred feeding sites in winter. This is especially important during pregnancy, which requires a significant amount of food. Thanks to the best food availability, the healthiest females with the largest horns are more likely to produce viable offspring. Consequently, in places where there is more food, deer do not compete as much for resources. Horns suddenly become a costly obstacle because they require energy to grow.
Antler size in both sexes reflects both the nutritional value of deer (making it a useful indicator of overall health) and climatic changes in the environment. But perhaps even more interesting is that the antlers of the reindeer are the largest compared to the overall body size of all deer species. They are so large, weighing up to 33 pounds, that reindeer need large neck muscles and a large head to support them.
In reindeer, antlers grow back at a very early age for the first time, before reaching puberty at about two years of age. The size and complexity of the horns increase every year, and from the age of five they remain relatively unchanged. The annual development of the horns is at least partially controlled by hormones. This ensures that they reach their maximum size in time for the late autumn reproductive season. If you change the production of sex hormones, you can change the size and shape of the horns. This can be seen from the fact that castrated males have the same horn cycle as females.
Human use of reindeer antlers
Reindeer are an important part of many northern indigenous cultures, including the Sami in northern Sweden and the Inuit in North America, who traditionally use them for milk, fur, meat and blood, and as a means of transportation. Reindeer antlers can be used with any tool, including knife handles, shovels, and dryers. It seems that in some cultures, each part of the horn is used differently. This tradition has been going on for thousands of years, helping people to survive in the harsh northern conditions. Reindeer have been semi-domesticated to facilitate access to their resources. This is the only domesticated deer in the world.
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