How reindeer escape the winter cold

An animal that comes into focus during the festive season in December is the reindeer. The famous jolly-old man, Santa Claus is said to go about in a sleigh driven by none other than reindeer.

Even though we think that the reindeer can live in harsh conditions during the winter, they do find it hard to cope. Unlike some hardy animals that can survive in the high Arctic all year round, reindeer do not have the ability to do so. They visit the high Arctic only for the mild summer season.

Reindeer herds spend the summer months feeding on small plants in the tundra, the treeless lands on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. In the autumn season, they make their way south, to take shelter for the winter in forests called the taiga.

The reindeer make the same round trip each year, following the same route. Such regular animal journeys are called migrations, and the reindeer travel as much as 2,000 km (1,240 miles) each year. In order to save energy, each deer treads in the footsteps of the animal in front of it because this way, the animals do not have to break trail through deep snow.