Reindeer and Moose:

The majestic deer

Remember Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer, who was picked by Santa Claus to draw his sleigh? Well, we thought that we would enlighten you about Rudolf's family members and also relatives, the moose, in this issue because they are the 'deers' in the animal kingdom....

Both reindeer and moose, members of the deer family, are found mostly in the northern regions of the world.

The reindeer, also known as caribou, is an Arctic and Sub Arctic deer and can be seen in northern Scandinavia, Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and North America.

Both males and females have antlers, which typically, have two separate groups of points. Females weigh around 60-170 kg (132-375 lbs). In some sub species the males are larger and weigh around 300 kg.

Ruminants with four-chambered stomachs, reindeer love to eat a type of lichen called reindeer moss. They also eat the leaves of willow, birch, saedges, and also grass. Occasionally they are known to include bird eggs and lemmings in their diet when food is scarce.

Reindeer have specialised hooves which adapt to the changing seasons. In the summer, when the tundra is soft and wet, their foot-pads become spongy. These provide extra traction (drawing or pulling power).

However, in the winter, these pads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hooves. The hooves so exposed enable the reindeer to walk in the snow without slipping because they cut into the ice-crusted snow. Perhaps, this is why Santa picked on these creatures to draw his sleigh, loaded with gifts for so many children.

These hooves are useful for them to dig down, which is popularly known as 'catering', to their favourite food - the reindeer moss. In fact, the name caribou means 'snow shoveller' and it was this habit of pawing through the snow for food that earned them this name.

Reindeer are social animals that live in herds and are majestic. They are highly valued and important animals to the nomadic tribes, especially the Lapps.

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Moose (Alees alces) are the largest members of the deer family and are called the giants of the deer world.

Distributed throughout Canada, Northern USA, Northern Europe as far east as Siberia, the moose weigh around 200-825 kg (440-1815 lbs) and reach a length of 2.4-3.1 m (7.8 - 10.1 ft) with a tail of 5.12 cm (2-5in). At shoulder height, moose can be as tall as 1.4-2.4 m (4.6-7.8 ft). They are indeed huge animals and the males with their large, forked antlers seem even bigger and majestic.

Unlike reindeer, it is only the male moose that have antlers and they too are not twig-like configurations (arrangements) most deer species have. Moose antlers arise as cylindrical beams, projecting on each side at right angles, to the middle of the skull.

After a brief distance, they divide into fork-like formations which may be simple or elaborate.

They drop their antlers for the winter to conserve energy and grow a new set during spring. These antlers take only 3-5 months to fully develop and are considered to be one of the fastest growing organs in the world.

Initially the horns are covered with a fuzzy skin called velvet which contains blood vessels that carry nutrients for them to grow. The males that grow button-like antlers in the early stages, rub off this velvet, which dries up later.

Moose are solitary animals that are active during the day, especially at dawn and dusk. Even though they have poor eyesight, they have excellent hearing and sense of smell.

They feed mostly on aquatic plants like water lilies, woody plants like twigs and bark of willow, balsam, birch, aspen and dogwood trees.

They lack teeth in the front of the upper jaw, but the plant material they eat is thoroughly crushed between 12 sets of broad, flattened teeth at the rear of the mouth. Moose have thick tongues and lips, large noses, small ears, large nostrils and long heads.

Their large, heavy bodies are supported on spindly(long and slender) legs which have cloven or divided hooves. Most moose have a pendant of fur-covered skin about 30 cm long, called a bell, hanging from the throat.

They have dark brown, almost black to reddish or greyish brown coloured coats with grey or white leg stockings. well-haired.

Even though massive in size, moose have the ability to move as silently as cats through dense forests.

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Fact file

* Reindeer cows use their antlers to protect the calves. When one (or several) calves are too weak to avoid a threat, the cows may form a circle, standing alongside surrounding the young from every side, with their horns or antlers protruding outward, against the danger.

* Long before recorded history, the Samis developed almost a symbolic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the reindeer. Aside from the use as transport, the reindeer were milked and their flesh (including intestines) were eaten. Reindeer skin is still used for clothes and shoes.

* Genus and species of this medium-sized member of the deer family are Rangifer tarandus.

* Reindeer have wide hooves, broad muzzles and thick brown fur. The thick fur traps air which insulates it from the cold and help keep afloat when swimming.

* A herbivore (plant eater) the reindeer spends most of the day eating.

* The fur coat is thin and brown in summer, and thick and grey in winter. The tail is white and so is the rump.

* Social animals living in herds, they are well adapted to winter conditions. In the harsh, freezing-cold environment, they live in herds - the smallest numbering 20 and largest thousands.

* In Alaska, hunters harvest more caribou than any other big game species.

The herd is almost constantly on the move.

A day-old reindeer can outrun a man.

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Fact file

* The largest mammal in North America, the moose is also known as the elk in Europe.

* These animals are distinguished by the special antlers of the males. These antlers which may be as wide as 4-5 feet across are used mainly for fighting during the breeding season, rather than for protection.

* An adult moose will consume about 19.5 kg (43 lb) of vegetation a day.

* Females give birth to 1-2 calves in the spring.

* Moose are considered to be the national animal of Sweden and Norway. The crown-like antlers have led to it being called the 'King of the forest'

* They are hunted as game (food). European rock drawings and cave paintings have proved that these animals have been hunted since the Stone Age.

* In USA's state of Maine, the moose is the state animal and in Alaska it is the state's land mammal.

* Moose, like reindeer are domesticated and records show the possibility of domesticating these animals was investigated as far back as the World War II.

* Moose survive the cold well, but suffer from heat.

* They beat the heat by submerging themselves in cool water. They are good swimmers and can swim up to two hours as far as 12 miles.

* New-born calves communicate with a low grunt, but as they grow, the moose develop a strident wail which sounds almost human.

* The new-borns stand up within a day and swim within a couple of weeks. They are weaned after six months but choose to stay with the mother until the next young are born.

* Moose can run at speeds of 35 miles per hour.