reindeer

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Reindeer Eyes Change Color When It's Cold
Reindeer Eyes Change
Color When It's Cold
new study
Dec 24, 2023 12:20 PM CST

Reindeer Eyes Change Color When It's Cold

Study suggests it's to help them find their favorite food in the dark

(Newser) - Forget the red, shiny nose—reindeer have a more fascinating story to tell through their blue-shining eyes. The reindeer are unique in that their eyes change color depending on the season, from a golden reflective hue in warmer months to a blue one in winter, per the Washington Post . Now,...

This Border Fence Is for Unusual Trespassers

Reindeer keep walking from Norway into Russia, and Russia wants payment for eaten grass

(Newser) - Norway is rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence along its border with Russia in the Arctic to stop the animals from wandering into the neighboring country—costly strolls for which Oslo has to compensate Moscow over loss of grassland. Norwegian officials say that so far this year, 42 reindeer have crossed...

'Terrifying' Arctic Find: 200 Dead Reindeer

Climate change blamed for difficult conditions in Norway

(Newser) - In an ongoing bout with climate change, Arctic reindeer aren't doing so hot. Some 200 of the animals have been found dead on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, each below the average weight of 150 to 200 pounds. The Norwegian Polar Institute, which made the discovery during the annual wild...

Reindeer Herder Ordered to Kill Half His Animals

Norwegian loses case against government

(Newser) - Some very un-Christmassy news from Norway: A reindeer herder has lost a high-profile case against the government and has been ordered to slaughter half his 150-strong herd, NRK reports. Herder Jovsset Ante Sara, a member of the indigenous Sami community, had argued that he couldn't make a living after...

Norway's Spate of Reindeer Killings Called 'Unprecedented'

They were victims of freight trains

(Newser) - A reindeer herder describes himself as "dizzy with anger" after freight trains barreled into more than 100 reindeer in Norway over three days, killing 106. Torstein Appfjell, who Sky News reports oversees about 2,000 reindeer, calls the deaths "totally tragic" and frames that toll in that period...

Santa's Reindeer Are Shrinking
Santa's Reindeer
Are Shrinking
Dec 12, 2016 8:29 AM CST

Santa's Reindeer Are Shrinking

Blame warmer temperatures, say scientists

(Newser) - Santa might need to recruit a few extra reindeer this year. According to Scottish scientists, Arctic reindeer are shrinking in size. Scientists weighed 135 reindeer on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, about 800 miles from the North Pole, each April from 1994 to 2015 and found the animals shrank from 121...

Russia Plans to Slaughter 250K Reindeer This Year

Officials say it's about curbing overgrazing, illness—but is it really about oil?

(Newser) - In 2013, 61,000 reindeer in Russia's northern Yamal region, a remote section of Siberia, starved to death when ice and deep snow sealed off the Arctic tundra where they graze. This summer, the region's first outbreak of anthrax in 75 years —an epidemic thought to be...

A Gruesome Scene in Norway: 323 Dead Reindeer

Local officials believe animals were killed in freak lightning strike(s)

(Newser) - In a story Sputnik News is labeling "Thor vs. Santa," a Norwegian environmental official making his rounds south of Hardangervidda on Friday stumbled upon a gruesome sight: more than 300 dead reindeer, apparently victims of a lightning strike, the Local reports.The reindeer— known as caribou in North...

Anthrax Hits Siberia After Decades Frozen in Reindeer Carcass

1,500 reindeer are dead, and 13 people have been hospitalized

(Newser) - After decades spent trapped inside a frozen reindeer carcass, anthrax is back to wreak havoc on Siberia, the Washington Post reports. Siberia hadn't had an anthrax outbreak since 1941. But, according to NBC News , approximately 1,500 reindeer have been killed by the bacterium since Sunday and 13 members...

'Noni Was Run Over By a Reindeer'

Well, a deer, but there are dumb jokes to be had

(Newser) - To most people, "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" is just a hokey, improbable Christmas song. To one Buffalo-area grandma who got run over by a deer, it's a very real hip replacement and suddenly not all that improbable. Such is the tale of 66-year-old Marlene Halt,...

Feds Open US Border —to Santa's Reindeer

'USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa'

(Newser) - If you wake up Christmas morning and don't find any gifts from Santa under the tree, don't blame the federal government. On Wednesday, the USDA issued permits to Santa's reindeer to come and go through any of the country's northern border ports beginning Christmas Eve and...

Science Explains Importance of Rudolph's Red Nose

Blue light cannot cut through the fog

(Newser) - They may not have sorted out how Santa's reindeer can fly, but scientists say there is an optical explanation for just how beneficial it is that Rudolph's nose burns red and bright. Reporting in the journal Frontiers for Young Minds , a Dartmouth anthropology professor says that Arctic reindeer...

Study Has Bad News for Reindeer

Reindeer populations experiencing rapid decline

(Newser) - The iconic reindeer is in peril, according to a new study analyzing population trends in China. While their numbers have been in decline for decades, dropping by at least 28% since the 1970s, the rate of decline has increased dramatically since 1998, reports UPI . The study, published in the Journal ...

In Finland, Reindeer Glow in the Dark

Reflective spray being tested as way to cut down on car accidents

(Newser) - Rudolph's glowing nose just became rather unnecessary—at least in Finland, where herders are painting reindeer to essentially glow in the dark. It's not Santa's sleigh they're worried about, but oncoming cars. Roughly 4,000 reindeer die in traffic accidents in the country each year, the...

Cats May See Things That Are Invisible to Us

Dogs and reindeer, too

(Newser) - If you saw the world through the eyes of your pet, you'd very likely be seeing a lot more than you currently do. That according to new research that has found that cats, dogs, and select other animals may be able to see things that are invisible to the...

The Reason Rudolph's Nose Is So Bright

Lots of blood vessels, researchers explain

(Newser) - Everyone knows Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has "a very shiny nose" that even, some might say, "glows." But why? A new—and, The Local notes, tongue-in-cheek—investigation explains. Researchers in Norway and the Netherlands compared reindeer noses to human noses and found that reindeer have 25% more...

Castration Helps Reindeer Handle Climate Change

Researchers say they forage for food better, then share it

(Newser) - The indigenous Sami peoples in the Arctic have found a way to help reindeer survive the ravages of climate change—but we’re guessing the deer don’t like it too much. Fluctuating temperatures have been a challenge for the reindeer, because melting snow often refreezes and forms ice over...

Reindeers with reflectors to stop car crashes.
Norway Puts Reflectors
on Reindeer
Dec 22, 2010 7:04 PM CST

Norway Puts Reflectors on Reindeer

They're trying to cut down on car crashes

(Newser) - Norway has come up with a novel way to keep drivers from crashing into reindeer: They're fitting reflectors on the animals in the form of reflective collars or antler tags. So far, 2,000 of the nation's 200,000 reindeer have been fitted. "It really works," a roads...

Reindeer Attacks Hiker, Nearly Impales Her

Bull was possibly sex-obsessed

(Newser) - A possibly sex-obsessed male reindeer repeatedly attacked a lone female hiker on an trail in Scotland and came close to impaling her on one of his antlers. The young bull knocked Pat Cook, 57, to the ground and tried to stab her. "I began bashing it over the head...

Rudolph Is Female, and Other Crazy Reindeer Facts

Reindeer travel 3K miles a year—not including flights

(Newser) - Climate change is blamed for a drop of nearly 60% in reindeer numbers in recent decades and scientists warn that Arctic ecosystems are likely to suffer as a result. LiveScience lists other surprising—and less depressing—facts about St. Nick's beasts of burden.
  • They're actually caribou. Caribou and reindeer are
...

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