The reindeer (or Rangifer tarandus) is a species of ungulate that lives throughout the Arctic and Sub Arctic – specifically in Canada, The USA (Alaska), Russia, Norway, Finland and Greenland. A reindeer’s appearance changes depending on their origin and the time of year, but generally they have a brown and white coat, and a face with a white underside and muzzle, often with darker coloration on the snout. They also have large antlers, multiple points of which are covered in brown velvet. The males are between 1.8 and 2.1m long, weighing between 159 and 182kg. Females are between 1.6 and 2.05m long, weighing between 80 and 120kg.
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Rangifer tarandus
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reindeer
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Animal Facts
There are 12 living subspecies of reindeer and 2 extinct subspecies. Different subspecies live in different geographical areas and environments, and also look slightly different.
The North American reindeer (caribou) migrates up to 5000km, the furthest of any land mammal.
Reindeer are the only species of deer where both males and females grow antlers (although in some reindeer subspecies, the females have lost their antlers).
Reindeer shed their antlers every year so new ones can grow. Males shed their antlers at the end of the mating season and females shed theirs after they have given birth.
The most mature and dominant reindeer stags have the largest antlers.
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