Two of Santa's Reindeer have arrived at Grouse Mountain from the North Pole. Dancer and Vixen showed up late last week and are currently hanging out near Santa's Workshop at the Skating Pond.
Reindeer are domesticated Caribou. In the wild, Caribou live in herds that can number into the hundreds of thousands of individuals. It is quite a sight when the herd begins to move in search of a new food source! Their favourite foods include lichens, mosses and other small vegetation.
Reindeer have been domesticated for thousands of years and in some cultures they play an integral subsistence role. There is evidence of reindeer being domesticated in Northern Asia as early as 499 AD and Reindeer cave paintings up to 25,000 to 30,000 years old have been found in Europe.
Santa's nine reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and of course Rudolph - are good choices to live at the North Pole since Reindeer are very adapted for cold climates. Their large hooves spread out and act like large snowshoes and the outer hairs of their coat are air-filled, which helps provide added insulation against cold weather.
When they are not flying, Reindeer can run at speeds approaching 50km/hr. Of course, to make it around the world in one evening Reindeer have been known to fly at over 3000 times the speed of sound.
I hope you get to make it up here to visit Santa, Dancer and Vixen and enjoy the Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain.
