Reindeers are semi-domesticated caribou but reindeers are shorter and stouter. It is believed they have been domesticated in Eurasia for at least 7,000 years. Reindeers live in the Arctic Circle.

In order to survive this cold climate the Reindeers hair is extremely dense. The outer coat has long, hollow hairs and the undercoat of fine wooly hair traps air. This thick coat inhibits radiation and allows them to lay on snow without melting it and getting wet. However, in summer the reindeers need to shed their outer coat and they expose their dark, soft undercoat.

In the wild, reindeers will search for emerging buds, leaves and flowers of sedge and dig for rhizomes in the spring, followed by willow leaves, forbs, and mushrooms as they emerge in early summer. Reindeers physiology is specialized to eat and digest lichen (sometimes called reindeer moss) as an energy source in winter. Lichen is produced by a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi. Captive reindeer must be fed a balanced diet of commercial grains, forage and supplements.

And one more thing: No, reindeer cannot fly.