Move Along, Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer
Reindeer are pretty cool, but they have no idea about right of way on the Alaska Highway. These cute but clueless critters held up traffic for about ten minutes while all the RVers busted out their video cameras. "Look, Sally, reindeer, just like Santa has!"
Only another five months until the Big Fat Man in a red suit enslaves you again...
posted by Mathew Elsner at 4:19 PM
4 Comments:
At the risk of being called a wanker for splitting reindeer/caribou hairs, I hereby provide the following information on the 'reindeer' you saw, or more likely, the caribou:
Caribou & Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
Reindeer and Caribou look different, but they probably are the same species. Caribou are large, wild, elk-like animals which can be found above the tree-line in arctic North America and Greenland. Because they can live on lichens in the winter they are very well adapted for the harsh arctic tundra where they migrate great distances each year. Caribou cows and bulls both grow distinctive antlers and bull antlers can reach 4 feet in width! A Caribou calf can run within 90 minutes of its birth. It must do this to keep up with the migrating herds.
Reindeer are slightly smaller and were domesticated in northern Eurasia about 2000 years ago. Today, they are herded by many Arctic peoples in Europe and Asia including the Sami in Scandinavia and the Nenets, Chukchi and others in Russia. These peoples depend on the reindeer for almost everything in their economy including food, clothing and shelter. Some Nenets even keep reindeer for pets! Reindeer were introduced into Alaska and Canada last century, but most attempts failed. Native peoples in these countries still prefer to hunt caribou rather than herd reindeer.
Reindeer and caribou have unique hairs which trap air providing them with excellent insulation. These hairs also help keep them buoyant in the water. They are very strong swimmers and can move across wide rushing rivers and even the frozen ice of the Arctic Ocean!
source: the Arctic Studies Center webpage.
either way, lets hope these guys escape from Santa's whip. What a lovely trip you're having. I'm envious and thus reduced to nitpicking on silly details.
Right, off I go.
Hi Meg-
Interesting stuff. So these were actually Reinibous and Carideer on the road?
M
Hi Sam-
You should have let me know a couple of days ago while I was at North Pole, AK. Apparently Santa was out of town (Vegas again - you now how he gets in the off season), but I could have left a note.
ME
Talk of ungulata aside, that's a rather impressive mountain behind said creatures in said photo. What mountain is it? Has it been climbed, do you think?
Fab photo, in any case....
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