Reindeer

Hand made and hand painted.

Materials: high quality native hardwood (maple and elm), finished with environmentally sound oils and lacquers

Size: 150 mm H (5.91 inches)

Made in Germany

Facts:
Both sexes grow antlers, which for old males fall off in December, for young males in the early spring, and for females in the summer. Domesticated reindeer are shorter-legged and heavier than their wild counterparts. The caribou of North America can run at speeds up to 80 km/h (50 miles per hour) and may travel 5,000 km (3,000 miles) in a year.

Reindeer hooves adapt to the season: in the summer, when the tundra is soft and wet, the footpads become spongy and provide extra traction. In the winter, the pads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hoof, which cuts into the ice and crusted snow to keep the animal from slipping. This also enables them to dig down through the snow to their favorite food, reindeer moss.

In the wild, most caribou migrate in large herds between their birthing habitat and their winter habitat. They swim easily and fast; migrating herds will not hesitate to swim across a large lake or broad river.

Males usually split apart from the group and become solitary, while the remaining herd consists mostly of females, usually a matriarchy.