They won’t be pulling Santa’s sleigh anytime soon, but Svalbard’s reindeer (Langifer tarandus platyrrhinx) Objectively speaking, it could win the North Pole cuteness contest. This subspecies of reindeer, found only on the Svalbard Islands in Norway, is about 5 feet long and 3 feet tall, about half the size of other reindeer.
“In fact, they are quite unique morphologically from other reindeer. They are shorter, thicker and hairier.” samantha page dowinellEcologists studying this unique subspecies in Svalbard say: popular science. “Their fur is twice as long and is the thickest cervid in the world.”
Here are some things to know about Earth’s smallest reindeer.
Svalbard is like a little paradise for them
reindeer in svalbard They have lived on this archipelago for 5,000 years. Meanwhile, they are very Separated from other reindeer populations in mainland Europe.
“They don’t have any real natural enemies, and they evolved in an ecosystem that didn’t have any real natural enemies,” Dwinell said. “Polar bears can also kill reindeer. But polar bears are technically marine mammals, so there’s usually not a lot of spatial overlap in practice.”
There are individual differences among reindeer, but most reindeer are very calm when approached by humans. It was even seen roaming the streets of Svalbard. While other members of the deer family are notoriously finicky, Dwinell says some Svalbard reindeer will allow her and her team to get within 100 feet of each other. .
These are master adapters
Like other reindeer and caribou, they are constantly adapting to a changing world. They live in what is technically considered a high-altitude arctic desert where there isn’t much deep snow, but it’s still very cold. Usually, the summer temperature is reaching mid-40s Fahrenheit.
“Their hooves can be at essentially zero degrees Celsius, but their core body temperature remains stable,” Dwinell explains.
The cell structure of their eyes also changes from winter to summer, allowing them to see more dim light in the winter and cope with nearly 24 hours of sunlight in the summer.
The legs are also shorter and closer to the body to prevent heat loss. When it comes to added weight, it’s all about reproduction.
“For all reindeer and caribou, it is [the fat] It’s the currency they use for survival and reproduction,” Dwinell says. “Despite the low plant growth here, these animals are somehow particularly fat. Basically they rely on stored fat to survive the long winters here.”
Their fur, which is twice as long as other reindeer, serves the same purpose.
[ Related: Reindeer can see UV light—and we may know why. ]
a special feeling for plants
Most reindeer and caribou eat lichens (hybrids of algae or cyanobacteria). grow up This includes bark, wood, moss, rock, soil, peat, glass, and even man-made materials such as cloth, metal, and plastic.
“There’s not a lot of lichen available to them here,” Dwinell says. “Svalbard reindeer have a somewhat unique diet in that they primarily eat grass.”
They are very dynamic in their response to their home, so they quickly adapt to changes in food sources. For example, when a phenomenon such as rain or snow occurs and plants freeze under the ice, the plants change where they go in search of food. They also pay attention to further seasonal changes
“When fall comes and the plant starts to die back, all the nutrients go into the plant’s roots,” explains Dwinell. “We found that reindeer in Svalbard actually go where they can dig and eat plant roots during this warm period.”
When the tundra froze in mid-September, and there was still plenty of green vegetation on the ground, Dwinell and her team discovered that the nutrients were frozen to the ground, so the reindeer dug holes to forage for them. I did not observe the digging process.
“They have some ability to gather information about where the nutritious food is, even if it’s not where the nutritious food is on the landscape, but where the nutrients are within individual plants. It’s about whether there is,” Dwinell said. “They can target it, so they can be very specific in how they eat depending on the situation they’re dealing with.
“Flashy” kick attempt
They are quite obedient, but some will react When a human or something approaches, they perceive it as a threat.
“Reindeer in Svalbard make small kicks where they would go up and try to kick, but they are often so fat that they can barely get off the ground,” says Dwinell. “Unfortunately, many readers who like to think that reindeer can fly are like denying reindeer’s ability to fly on their paws. It’s very flashy and very hilarious.”
[ Related: Polar bears adapted to the Arctic just 70,000 years ago. ]
They are surviving climate change – for now.
Much of Dwinell’s research focuses on how they adapt to changes in Svalbard’s vegetation and landscape. Although their response appears to be very quick and effective, there are still some concerns.
“Not all people have access to equally good food, so it doesn’t work out for some people,” Dwinell says.
One of their main concerns is their low heat tolerance. High temperature records are being broken more and more. Long periods of warm weather can lead to increased vegetation, but heat stress can expend energy and take away any benefits from increased vegetation. Yet, despite these pressures, Dwinell sees them as a silver lining.
“I think they speak to the nuances of how climate change may affect animals,” Dwinell says. “They seem to be mostly OK, at least for now.”
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