As you track NORAD Santa and marvel at the speed his nine reindeer on Christmas Eve, remember this.
Those powerful reindeer are girls.
Yup, Rudolph and company are actually all female.
Ready for takeoff when you are, #Santa!”
This just in: Santa Claus, his reindeer and two CF-18 escort pilots are cleared for takeoff from an undisclosed location in… #Canada! 🎄 🎅🏼🎄
Follow here: https://t.co/CchF6YmZEI #RCAF pic.twitter.com/7qNDtqJMj0— RCAF (@RCAF_ARC) December 24, 2017
Though, generations have no doubt assumed they were male. (Except maybe Vixen?)
TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT! GO GIRLS, GO! YOU CAN DO IT! https://t.co/0yZZ8Y0q1W
— Cat Reynolds (@catreynoldsnyc) December 25, 2017
And it’s not just a popular tweet that says so.
Because. Science.
Canadia zoologist Andrew Hebda recently noted that while both male and female reindeer have antlers, only the females have their antlers during the winter months.
“Being members of the deer family, the males grow their antlers a little bit earlier and just after mating season, which is just about finished now, they drop off,” he told The Canadian Press. “So over a winter you’ll never see a male with antlers.”
Photo of the Day: Run, run, reindeer! Even young reindeer calves can move quickly over long distances. Full-grown reindeer speeds top out at a steady 50 mph.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Discovery! pic.twitter.com/wR05598m8o
— Discovery (@Discovery) December 24, 2017
The curator at the Nova Scotia Museum isn’t alone in the assertion.
Lots of experts are also on board with the theory. The Chicago Zoological Society even penned a missive on “Santa’s Lady Reindeer.”
“Their antlers tell the entire story,” the venerable institution blogged. “Reindeer loose and grow a new rack of antlers every year, but when the antlers fall off differs by the sex and age of the reindeer. Adult male reindeer will lose their antlers in early December, so we are certain, scientifically speaking, Santa’s reindeer aren’t adult males. Female reindeer will keep their entire rack until the summer. Their rack stays longer so they can protect their babies from predators.”
So that can only mean Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and the red-nosed Rudolph were female.
“This isn’t to say Santa ONLY had female reindeer, but the nine flyers were girls,” the zoological society noted.”The ONLY LOGICAL and SCIENTIFIC option available is Santa’s sleigh team is all women. Girl power!”
You can learn more about Santa’s magical reindeer here.
Did you know that reindeer & caribou are actually the same species, Rangifer tarandus? Reindeer is the European name for what North Americans call caribou. In some cultures, reindeer are thought to take flight once a year, on Dec. 24, though this behavior has never been observed. pic.twitter.com/Lzvr19GlOj
— American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) December 25, 2017
And it’s a good reason to jump for joy.
Reindeer warm up: Looks like this one is getting ready for tonight’s big ride! @BeringLandNPS #Alaska 🎅 pic.twitter.com/JPZagphBlv
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) December 24, 2017
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Main photo Togiat National Wildlife Refuge/Facebook
