22 February 2011 Santa's Helpers

The University of Alaska's Reindeer Research Program

When I was a child, my mother would point out a flashing red light in the sky every Christmas Eve to show us where Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer was. Although I couldn't actually see the reindeer, I really believed they were flying through the sky! Today I was reminded of the magic of reindeer when we visited the University of Alaska Reindeer Research Farm.

The Reindeer Research Farm is the only station in the U.S. that studies reindeer. The farm is used to better understand how to successfully raise and keep reindeer so that other reindeer farms in Alaska can be successful. The farm is testing out different types of feed (barleys, hays and even protein from fish) and how they affect the reindeer's nutrition. The Reindeer Research Farm makes sure the reindeer are healthy and happy, however they also slaughter reindeer and sell the meat.

George Aguiar, a farmer in the Reindeer Research program, introduced us to the reindeer!

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Look at the picture and video above. This reindeer only has one antler.

How do you think this reindeer lost its antler? (See below for the answer!)

How much do you think a pound of Reindeer meat costs? (See below for the answer!)

Science Makes Everything Better!

My favorite scientist, Richard Feynman, once talked about how knowing the science behind something can only add to the beauty of it. To see him talk about this, click here. I feel the same way about the reindeer I saw today--as I learned about all of their amazing adaptations I grew more and more in awe of them and the nature that created such unique and clever features!

Adaptations are the physical or behavioral traits that helps an animal survive in its habitat.

What are some adaptations that you think reindeer have to survive in the arctic?

Getting to Know the Reindeer

Fun Facts and Answers

Let's see if you were able to get any of the questions above right!

The reindeer with only one antler in the video above lost the other antler because of hormones! Farmers often try to keep the male reindeers (called *bulls ) calm. One way to do that is to give them hormones. The reindeer in the video was not given enough hormones to create strong antlers, and therefore the reindeer lost one.

*Today George, the farmer at the Reindeer Research Farm, told us that a pound of reindeer meat sells at about 15 dollars per pound for burger meat, and 25 dollars per pound for nicer cuts of meat. Reindeer meat must taste good!

*There are lots of things about reindeer that make them successful in the snow! Here are some of my favorites:

1. Reindeer love to eat lichens. Lichens are made up of a fungus and algae that live together. They are typically the first species to grow on rocks and are also found a lot on tundra. This may not seem so special, but other arctic animals do not eat lichens, giving the reindeer an advantage of having more food! Also, lichens are made up of carbohydrates, just like our candy, bread and other foods. Although they lack many important things, like protein, minerals and fat, they are an efficient energy source for the reindeer.

2. Reindeer eat snow to get their water. This might seem like a bad idea, because it would make you cold. Although this is true, it also gives the reindeer a supply of water, which is hard to get when everything is frozen! Also, snow provides water that is pure, meaning it does not have minerals or other contaminants in it. If a reindeer were to drink water from another source, it would probably have more minerals in it. The reindeer would then need to rid itself from these minerals through urine, which would cause a loss of water and body heat.

3. Reindeer click when they walk. Once George told us about this, we could hear little clicks each time the reindeer moved! The reindeer have a little tendon that hits their ankle bone when they walk. This helps them hear each other during snow blizzards.

Reindeer Trivia

Have you ever wondered:

*Why a reindeer seems to ride high in the water?

*How a reindeer can stop quickly on ice or snow?

*How a reindeer's nose can warm cold air?

*Why a reindeer does not get chapped lips?

*Why reindeer grow velvet on their antlers?

*Why the mother reindeers keep their antlers each year, while males or non-pregnant females lose them?

There is a great slideshow that can answer all of these questions and more! Go to http://reindeer.salrm.uaf.edu/about_reindeer/adaptations/ . Look through the slideshow and see if you can answer any of the questions below!