Reindeer

1
Reindeer

• or Caribou

2
What is a reindeer?

• A reindeer (or caribou) is part of the deer
  family.
• They are strong runners and good swimmers.
• Caribou can run at up to 50 miles per hour.

3
Reindeer or caribou?

• Caribou and reindeer are not the same animal they
  are cousins.
• They are not the same because reindeer are
  smaller.

4
What do they look like?

• Reindeer have white tails and necks. Their coats
  are brown and white.
• The fur of the reindeer turns a light colour in
  the winter and a darker colour in the summer.

5
How tall are reindeers?

• Reindeer are about 1m 20cm tall. That is about as
  tall as a Year 3 student.

6
Caribou - Hooves

• Caribou have large hooves which help them walk on
  the wet summer ground and the soft winter snow,
  without sinking in.
• They have 4 toes on each foot.

7
Caribou - Antlers

• Unlike other members of the deer family both boy
  and girl reindeers grow antlers.

8
What do they eat?

• Reindeers are herbivores. This means they eat
  plants.
• They eat a moss called lichen. It grows on the
  ground and is good for them to eat.
• In the winter the reindeer paw through the snow
  to find lichen to eat

9
Where do they live?

• Reindeer can be found in Arctic tundra, forests,
  and mountains in Russia, Northern China, Canada,
  Alaska, and Scandinavia
• It is very cold where they live.

10
How many reindeer are there?

• Alaska has twice as many Caribou as people.
  There are 600,000 people but over 1,000,000
  caribou.

11
Pulling a sleigh

• A full grown reindeer can run between 12 and 15
  miles an hour pulling a loaded sleigh. They can
  do this for many hours.
• Reindeer can carry up to 300 pounds. This is the
  same as they weigh.

12
Why keep reindeers?

• Reindeer owners cut a notch in the ears to tell
  who the reindeer belongs to.
• The people that live with reindeers drink their
  milk and eat reindeer meat.
• The people use the skins for clothing and to make
  tents.

13
Famous Reindeers

• An Extract from Twas a Night Before Christmas
  by Clement Clark Moore first published in 1823.
• Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
• On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
• To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
• Now dash away! dash away! dash away all

14
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer

• We first hear about Rudolph the red nosed
  reindeer in 1939.
• A man called Robert May first wrote about Rudolph
  and he composed the famous song too.

15
The end