Reindeer: reader, reaper and on the dude

These inhabitants of the tundra and northern forests differ from the rest of their brethren by the presence of horns, not only available to males, but also to females. The original habitat of these cloven-hoofed animals has left, excuse for a pun, the trace on their hoofs: they at them very wide. Thanks to such hoofs, the reindeer do not fall into the snow, which in the North - more than enough! The size of its track has an area of about 10 by 9.5 centimeters. In addition, wide hooves - it is an excellent help in moving around swampy soils.

The reindeer is a fairly large mammal, reaching two meters in length and one at the withers. His winter coat is unusually thick, long and wavy; It is so dense that no wind will blow a deer. His "coat" usually has a dark brown color in the house and gray - in the wild. It is interesting that practically all kinds of deer are born spotty, and when they grow, they change their color. By the way, a large amount of air contained in the wool gives the deer an excellent buoyancy, which gives it another unique ability - it's easy to cross the rivers!

There is a reindeer in Siberia, Scandinavia and Greenland. This animal prefers predominantly mountainous areas rich in moss and alpine herbs that make up its diet. The northern deer are still nomads! For example, in Siberia they travel every spring along the route "forest - tundra", and in summer because of the abundance of importunate mosquitoes they return back to the taiga forests. Roe deer are huge herds. In the way of many dangers awaiting them in the form of hungry wolves and other predators, the victims of which are old or sick animals. A healthy and sturdy deer usually does not have the teeth of a gray predator, but only until the first ice cover on the snow: most deer often cut their legs against the ice, which is what the "forest orderlies" use, attacking lame exhausted animals.

The deer is northern and noble: who is more beautiful?

Unfortunately, the reindeer is not the first "guy in the village". Short legs, a small tail, fangs on the upper jaw of males - all this makes it far from the ideal of beauty, which can not be said about the noble deer. This is a fairly large cloven-hoofed mammal with a very graceful and slender physique and beautiful branching horns. However, in defense of his northern brother, we note that the latter is one of the most beautiful animals of the North.

An Indispensable Friend

The northern peoples depend entirely on deer. Their whole life passes side by side with this animal. The inhabitants of the North always take care of places rich in food for these deer, and also wander after the animals along pastures. In addition, the reindeer is the prerogative of the rich. "You are a poor man, if you do not possess this animal!" Says the rule of the northern peoples.

Life in captivity

In captivity the reindeer It becomes more tame, but do not forget that this is a wild animal. Even such a routine procedure, like milking, becomes possible only after a long and arduous catching of a female by a lasso. Wild reindeer and strives to show their proud "I": it is necessary to slightly weaken vigilance, as a domesticated animal turns into a wild handsome man!