Animals

The reindeer is a majestic animal that inhabits the frozen arctic tundra. It has adapted remarkably to a harsh, barren habitat where food is scarce much of the year. It is an excellent swimmer. Aided by a thick coat that traps air and gives good buoyancy in the water, it can easily swim across wide rivers.

The reindeer inhabits the bleak arctic plain or tundra, and the surrounding forest and mountain areas. Within this harsh and freezing-cold environment, reindeer live together in herds.The smallest herd may contain 20 animals, while the largest may contain thousands. The herd is almost constantly on the move.

The reindeer mates sometime between August and November, depending on location, but mostly in October. This is known as the rutting season, and the male becomes very aggressive, fighting with other males as he competes to win control of a harem of 5 to 15 females. Reindeer and young
As the time approaches to give birth, the female leaves the herd and chooses a secluded spot. She usually returns to the same spot each year to calve, or bear young. The calf is born between late May and early June, when the herd is at the summer grazing grounds. It weighs 11 – 20 pounds and can stand within minutes after being born. It suckles until it is five to six months old.Unlike many baby deer, the reindeer fawn’s coat is not marked with camouflaging spots.

Becasue they are born in early summer, the calves have enough time to feed and grow strong before the Fall migration, when predators are most likely to attack.The calf’s antlers begin to grow when the animal is a year old.
The reindeer is a plant eater and eats a wide variety of vegetation. The mainstay of its diet are the lichens and tough grass that grows on the tundra. In the spring, the reindeer will graze the newly sprouted shoots of grass and shrubs.