While Rudolph might be the most famous reindeer, there remains no documented evidence of a red-nosed reindeer guiding Santa’s sleigh on an especially stormy Christmas Eve. But just because no one has yet to find the real Rudolph, that doesn’t mean we don’t know a few things about Santa’s sled buddies.

• Reindeer are also known as Caribou in North America.

• Females generally weigh between 170 to 260 lbs., while males are often much larger, weighing as little as 200 lbs. but as much as 460 lbs.

• Reindeer reside in both the Arctic and Subarctic, and hunting of wild reindeer and herding of semi-domesticated reindeer is important to several Arctic and Subarctic people.

• Reindeer fur can vary considerably. In northern populations, reindeer tend to have white fur, while southern populations are darker in color.

• Reindeer size can also vary depending on location, as southern reindeer populations tend to be larger than their northern counterparts.

• In most reindeer populations, both males and females grow antlers. Among deer, reindeer have the largest antlers in relation to body size.

• Males often battle with each other by locking antlers for the right to mate with certain females.

• During migration, some reindeer reach speeds of 37-50 miles per hour.

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