REINDEER

BASIC INFORMATION
Reindeer are Arctic animals, a species of mammal from the deer family that mainly inhabits the Arctic tundra. Reindeer are perfectly adapted to living in harsh conditions. They have thick fur that protects them from the cold, and their wide hooves help them move through the snow. Reindeer are herd animals, living in groups of dozens to hundreds of individuals.
Reindeer are herbivorous, eating moss, shrub leaves, perennials and lichens. In winter, they dig up plants from under the snow. Reindeer are on the food list of polar bears on Svalbard, more than 27% of whose faeces consist of reindeer particles.

SANTA CLAUS’S SLEIGH
Reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh, although they are not actually fully domesticated by humans. However, the Sami do use them as pack and draft animals, for riding, pulling, and also as a source of milk, meat, hides, bones and antlers. One of the northern delicacies is a reindeer steak.
We encounter reindeer on our trips around Tromsø as they wander along the coast or walk along the roads or even the suburbs of the city. On Svalbard there is a large population of reindeer, smaller in size than those on the mainland, known as Spitsbergen Reindeer. They appear in Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund and also in large numbers on the fjord shores. Reindeer fleeing in terror are often a sign of a close presence of polar bears.
One of the most spectacular events is when herds of hundreds of reindeer swim across Norwegian fjords.