Sunday, December 9, 2007

On the Hoof


Since it’s the season where reindeer are frequently mentioned, this week I thought I’d focus on hoofed animals—starting with the reindeer, but I’m not talking Rudolph. Wikipedia says reindeer and caribou are the same animal, but my other research gives conflicting answers, so I’ll discuss them separately.

In Russia and Scandinavia reindeer are domesticated. Wild reindeer are found in Norway.

Reindeer are good swimmers. Both male and females have antlers. Reindeer eat lichen, mosses, grass, birch and willow leaves, mushrooms and other tundra plants.

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