In an article for Live Science, Physiologist Perry Barboza of the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska at Fairbanks, who studies the creatures and their close cousins, the caribou, likens female reindeer to “seals on hooves,” since seals are similarly equipped with toasty internal padding. "They have their mating season in autumn when they use their antlers to fight, but once it finishes they cast them.". It is the youngest of Santa Claus reindeer. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. We’ll leave that up to you. Dr. Alice Blue-McLendon, a Texas A&M University veterinary professor, notes how both female and male reindeer grow antlers, an quality exclusive to … This includes both sedentary and migratory populations. Edinburgh University professors Gerald Lincoln and David Baird told the Telegraph there's no way that Rudolph can be a fella because male reindeer shed their antlers before mid-December. Many, it seems, are tired of one specific movie: Rankin/Bass' "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".As a young child, I had my mother record this on VHS and I would watch it on loop until well into January. There is a big story behind Rudolph. But all male Reindeer lose their antlers in the late fall, well-before Christmas. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. “Rudolph could be a castrated male, or a female. 03 November 2009 • 07:00 am . Special Discount on Bulk Orders of ‘Good News’ Books. Rudolph is a fictional animated reindeer with a red nose to guide Santa’s squad. You neglected to mention that the reindeer can fly, or should I say get high, due to a hallucinogenic fungus that grows in the arctic. Before finding fame in song as well as on film and television, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was the hero of what amounts to an anti-bullying-themed children’s story. We also revealed the real reason why red and green are considered to be traditional Christmas colours. But reindeer are the only species in which the females also grow antlers, and an explanation can be found by looking at bovids, a closely related family including antelopes, goats and sheep. Rudolph the red nosed reindeer is a female. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, The most common depiction of Rudolph features the glowing snout and majestic antlers, Male reindeer shed their antlers before mid-December, meaning only the females have them at Christmas, If Rudolph were a bloke, she'd have no antlers at Christmas, unlike female reindeer, Father Christmas and Rudolph fly to Space, why red and green are considered to be traditional Christmas colours, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). RELATED: Santa’s Been Named An Essential Worker and to Boost His Christmas Cheer Everyone is Ringing a Bell Outside at 6pm. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. They eat it and then probably think they are flying the Northern Lights. The astrophysicists continued by saying reindeer lose their antlers by Christmas time so Rudolph must be a female. Reindeer and caribou are even further distinctive – females as well as males have antlers, leading some cynics to the controversial idea that Rudolph may … With the holiday season just behind us, we’re all probably a little tired of Christmas movies. Does Your Nutrition Company Feed Hungry Kids at the Same Time? So while the mainstream media would have you believe Rudolph and … Perhaps it's time to give the famous song lyrics a bit of a tweak. But now kids love this character and especially the siege of toys which they carry with Santa. So it must be female as in reindeer both sexes grow antlers. Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in the spring. “Reindeer go to great lengths to seek out the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) and eating the fungi makes them behave drunkenly, run about aimlessly and make strange noises.”. Take our quiz to find out, Grim footage shows why you shouldn't use face wipes to remove your foundation, Ex-Nike worker reveals how you can get a FREE pair of trainers, Freebie Queen reveals how she bagged £1.4k of designer products for FREE, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Yep, Santa’s reindeer just might be female and don’t mind stopping for directions. But all male Reindeer lose their antlers in the late fall, well-before Christmas,” he authoritatively added. It’s true. Male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. However, males shed it quite early in the winter start whereas females keep it until spring. 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