Q. Did Rudolph the Reindeer really have a red nose?
A. Not from the cold, he didn't.
Reindeer have uniquely adapted to some of the world's iciest environments by eating a special form of antifreeze - "reindeer moss".
The moss is actually one of the world's 15,000 lichens, and a chemical
it contains helps to keep reindeer body fluids from freezing in the harsh Arctic tundra - much the same way antifreeze works in a car.
The moss makes up 60 to 70 per cent of a reindeer's winter diet and while few other animals eat it - it is hard to digest and has little nutritional value - reindeer have micro-organisms in their stomachs that help them to digest it.
They can smell the moss beneath snow and paw down to reach it with their unusually broad hooves.
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are medium-sized members of the deer family and are strong runners and swimmers - calves can run within about 90 minutes of being born.
Reindeer live for about 10 years in the wild and migrate across hundred of kilometres each year. They were domesticated 2000 to 5000 years ago and are herded by some indigenous peoples.
Unlike most other deer, both males and females have antlers, which are sometimes used to dig for food.
Reindeer have thick brown fur which traps air, insulating them in one of the world's most inhospitable environments where temperatures can drop as low as minus 50C. The air also helps to keep them afloat while swimming across wide rivers.
Reindeer are found in the frozen wastes of Siberia, northern China, Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia.
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