All The Ways Reindeer Have Evolved To Pull Santa's Sleigh

When we think of Santa, we usually picture a jolly man in a red suit who’s ready to deliver gifts to all the good children around the world each year. While that might be the case, he’s not the only one who brings the festive season to life. Far from it. Santa wouldn’t be anywhere without his reindeer who pull his sleigh around the world.

It turns out there are plenty of ways reindeer have evolved to pull Santa’s sleigh that go to show they are even more incredible than many give them credit for. They might be yet to earn their own red noses, but they can certainly do just about everything else to get Santa around the world in record speed.

Reindeers have two layers of fur to keep warm

If there’s one thing reindeer need to pull Santa’s sleigh, it’s the ability to keep warm. Thankfully, they have just that at their disposal with their two layers of fur. Most mammals only have one, but reindeer live in the Arctic, where it’s common for temperatures to dip as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. That’s why as many as 2,000 hairs can be packed into a fraction of a square inch on their skin, meaning it’s 10x as dense as a human head. Of course, all that extra hair means reindeer can trap in warm air and stop snow from racing their skin, both helping to keep them warmer than most other animals. 

Their veins and arteries intertwine to avoid heat loss

One incredible way that reindeer have evolved to battle the cold is the way their bodies are put together. Most mammals lose heat through the cold blood returning through their veins after traveling around the body, meaning their heart has to work incredibly hard to warm it back up again. Reindeer? Instead of letting their bodies work even harder to keep warm, their veins and arteries use countercurrent heat exchange, which means they are intertwined with each other. The heat from the blood in the arteries helps to keep veins warmer and therefore means less work for their hearts. 

Reindeers don’t need to store fat thanks to their unique diet

Let’s face it; most of us couldn’t make it around the world in one night, especially when pulling enough gifts to hand to every child on Earth. Thankfully, reindeer don’t have to worry about carrying extra pounds, as they don’t store fat. That’s all thanks to special bacteria in their gut, which means they can digest lichen. This is a type of organism that’s formed through fungi and algae and thrives in the Arctic throughout the winter. As if that wasn’t enough, reindeer are the only mammals that have evolved to eat the stuff.

They have incredible eyesight, including seeing the ultraviolet

When it comes to incredible things about reindeer, their eyesight might be top of the list. The Arctic is pretty dark most of the winter, meaning animals need to evolve or risk losing their lives. For one, reindeer’s eyes change color from gold to blue when things cool down, letting in more light in the process. They also have the ability to see in the ultraviolet, making them the only mammals with this incredible skill. While it’s common in birds, reindeer are the only ones who can see objects that would usually blend into the background to the human eye. 

Their hooves adapt in the winter to make walking easier

Just because they spend most of the night pulling Santa’s sleigh through the air doesn’t mean that reindeer get to fly all year long. Instead, there are plenty of weeks they need to make it through pretty deep snow at the North Pole, which is no problem thanks to their wide hooves. They are perfect for spreading their weight across the snow and digging to find food. However, they get even more impressive in the winter, as reindeer’s hooves actually shrink and retract, meaning they walk on the sharp edges of their feet instead. Why? To keep their feet away from the cold and to prevent slipping. Oh, and they can run up to 48 mph. 

Reindeers have been used as transportation since the Stone Age

Few animals have been domesticated as long as reindeer. In fact, they are the only deer that have taken that path, and they have been used as transportation since the Stone Age. Every year, they migrate over 3,000 miles and can travel up to 35 miles a day, making them the perfect additions to Santa’s sleigh. While many choose to ride reindeer, others have learned how perfect they are for pulling sleighs instead.

While it might take a sprinkling of Christmas magic to get them off the ground, all the ways reindeer have evolved to pull Santa’s sleigh show just how incredible these deer really are.