What is a reindeer and where does it live?

Reindeer pull Santa's sleigh – everyone knows that. Find out here where the likeable animals with the impressive antlers live, what they eat and what they can do.

Everything you need to know about our mascot Akubi

What is a reindeer?

The reindeer belongs to the Moose family . Moose and reindeer differ mainly in their size, because an adult moose can tower over the reindeer by almost a metre and weighs many more kilos. The antlers of the two animals also look very different: moose have antlers that resemble large shovels, while Reindeer thin, widely branched pole antlers . By the way, there are 20 different subspecies of reindeer.

Where do reindeer live?

Reindeer live where it is icy cold: in the very north of the earth . Taiga and tundra are the landscapes in which they move across the country in large herds. Dense coniferous forests, small shrubs, mosses and lichens grow in the taiga. The tundra, on the other hand, is also known as the coldest steppe. There are hardly any trees here, but many lichens, grasses and mosses. And they particularly like reindeer.

What is the difference between a reindeer and a Karibu?

Reindeer and Karibu are two terms for one and the same animal . Reindeer are the animals living in Scandinavia and Russia: peoples such as the Sami in Lapland have been breeding them for centuries and follow the herds. This Reindeer are used to humans and are very tame . Their tasks include Sleigh pulling .

Caribou, on the other hand, are real wild animals. Their habitat is in the north of the American continent in Canada and Alaska. They have a white mane on the underside of the neck and also live together in large herd groups, which are separated by sex. Akubi is a Karibu , because he lives with his mother and his flock in northern Canada.

How big and how old do reindeer get?

Male reindeer are larger than females: they reach a shoulder height of up to 1.40 m and can up to 300 kg weigh. The life expectancy of reindeer is between 12 and 20 years old . On average, they live to be 15 years old.

What do reindeer eat?

The reindeer is Vegetarian , that is, it only eats plants . In the summer months, reindeer find plenty of food: their favourite foods include grasses, flowers, lichens, mushrooms, leaves and mosses. In winter, there is plenty of snow in the taiga and tundra and the reindeer have to search for food under the snow cover. To do this, the reindeer shovels away the snow with its foot. The natives of North America therefore gave them the name "Karibu". In their language, this means "the one who shovels snow". In search of food, the herds in North America travel many thousands of kilometers. Caribou cover up to 5,000 km a year.

How to tell male and female reindeer apart?

The females differ from their male counterparts mainly in size, as they are smaller . The antlers of the reindeer ladies are also smaller. Male reindeer also shed their antlers at the beginning of December , while the reindeer cows keep it until spring. As a result, the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh are all female!

What is special about reindeer antlers?

The reindeer's antlers are beautiful: they sit right next to the reindeer ears, are finely branched, irregular and not symmetrically shaped. This means that every page looks different. The reindeer antlers are how a person's fingerprint is unique .

A young reindeer does not yet have antlers after birth. The reindeer horns grow in the first two years of life like our mascot Akubi. The antlers of an adult male can up to 130 cm long and weigh up to 15 kg. Once a year, the animals shed their antlers. But it grows back again and again: up to two centimeters a day. Reindeer, by the way, are the only moose in which the female is also equipped with antlers.

What does the reindeer's fur look like?

The skin of a reindeer is very dense and has a grey-brown, partly white colour . In summer, the coat is lighter than in winter. The dense undercoat protects caribou and Akubi from the icy temperatures of the Arctic Circle.

Why are reindeer real heroes?

Reindeer can not only cover very long distances, but also run extremely fast: If a Karibu really accelerates, it can up to 80 km/h fast run. You can't keep up with it by bike.

The reindeer is also a real ace in ice-cold water: Thanks to air cushions in the fur, reindeer can swim well and crossing wide rivers – it was clear that Akubi found learning to swim so easy.

In addition, caribou have a kind of Built-in nose heater : When inhaling, the icy polar air in the nose is preheated to a pleasant temperature so that no cold air enters the lungs. And also the Eyes of the animals are something very special: In summer Light up golden yellow ; in winter Take a dark blue color . This allows reindeer to see better in the long dark polar night.