c/o Reindeer Owners and Breeders Association
What could be cuter than a little baby reindeer around the holidays? Not much! Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, or Caribou) have become a holiday staple for their sleigh pulling behavior. The large beasts are a kind of deer, native to North America, that travel great distances every year in search of food. Babies can run faster than a wolf only minutes after they're born!
But what you might not know is that Santa's reindeer, even ole Rouldolph himself, have to be girls - at least if the classic pictures are correct. That's because, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both sexes grow antlers, male reindeer shed them in November to early December after they're done fighting over girls. Female reindeer don't shed theirs until the spring, so if Santa's reindeer have antlers come Christmas eve, they've got to be ladies! Sure makes "Vixen" seem like a good name...
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