Reindeer, females can weigh over 150 kilograms, while males are smaller, around 90 kilograms. Both males and females have a pair of branching antlers, which can reach 1.8 meters in diameter. These antlers are formed from ossified dermis that protrudes through the skin, and they are shed annually, with new antlers growing as soon as the old ones fall off. Although reindeer are gentle and docile, they are not domesticated. North American reindeer are purely wild; while those distributed in Northern Europe, mainly managed by the Sami people, are largely domesticated.
Human activities have altered the reindeer's habitat.
Reindeer have very thick winter fur, with long, hollow hairs filled with air, which not only keeps them warm but also increases buoyancy when swimming. The close-fitting down is thick and soft, like wearing a double-layered fur coat.
Reindeer foraging under the snow
The most astonishing feat of reindeer is their annual migration, stretching hundreds of kilometers. They brave mountains and rivers, relentlessly forging ahead. But unlike lemmings, the reindeer migration is not a collective suicide, but a rational long-distance journey. With the arrival of spring, they leave their wintering grounds in the subarctic forests and grasslands, heading north along a route unchanged for centuries. Always led by the females and followed closely by the males, they march in a mighty, unstoppable procession, day and night, eating as they go, shedding their thick winter coats and growing new, thin, long fur. The shed fur falls to the ground, serving as natural trail markers. This has been their routine for centuries. Normally, they move at a steady pace, orderly and disciplined, only engaging in a frantic run when pursued by wolves or hunters, a life-or-death struggle ensues. Therefore, some call the reindeer migration a "victorious escape."
Reindeer raised in captivity
For the Inuit people who have lived in the Arctic for generations, reindeer are an extremely important source of food. Their meat is a high-quality food, tasting similar to beef. Their hides are important materials for sewing clothes, making tents and boats, while their bones can be made into knives, hooks, javelin tips, and sled frames, and can also be carved into handicrafts.
