By Alisha Brewer
A cool Friday morning is a great excuse for some fresh brewed coffee, so off to the Vail Coffee Stop we went. (Have you tried it yet? It’s the little coffee truck in between the tracks and it is awesome!) On the way home, hot mochas in hand, my husband had to slam on the brakes to avoid a mule deer that jumped in front of the car! She took only two leaps and was across the road, over the fence and on her way. I couldn’t believe it! Such a cool, unexpected experience that came and went in the blink of an eye.
The large deer was easily identifiable as a female as she had no antlers. This chance encounter is what got me thinking about this month’s topic. Did you know that there is a difference between horns and antlers? And, more importantly, knowing the difference and understanding a little bit about it will lead to uncovering a little known fact about Santa and his reindeer. I can picture Santa giggling right now, because of course he already knows that all of his reindeer are female!
Shocked? “No way Santa’s reindeer are female!”, you say? I get it! Just like many of you, I grew up picturing those iconic reindeer to be boys. Christmas stories, songs, movies and pop culture all seem to classify those tough sleigh pullers as males. But, surprise, science tells us otherwise!
First off- horns vs. antlers. What’s the difference?
Horns are permanently stuck on an animal’s head, they do not come off. They start growing when the animal is born and are meant to stay a part of that animal for life. It is common for both males and females to have them. True horns belong to cattle, sheep, goats and antelope. Think of the Texas longhorn, bighorn sheep, those white fluffy mountain goats and all the amazing African hoofstock like ibex, oryx, eland, gazelle, water buffalo. Horns are unbranched, so one solid piece. However, horns come in all sorts of fun shapes and sizes. They can be straight, curved or even spiraled. Horns can be smooth or bumpy and rough.
Since horns are present on the animal all year long they hold many different uses. Horns can be used in sparring matches, for protection, to show strength and defend their territory, and to determine breeding rights.
Antlers, on the other hand…uh, head, come off- they’re supposed to. Antlers are designed to be grown and shed annually. Only deer have antlers. Think of moose, elk, and here at home, our white tailed and mule deer. Only males grow antlers. (The one exception is found in caribou- a.k.a reindeer. A very important piece of information that we’ll come back to in a bit). Antlers are branched, so multiple sections stem from the main source.
Antlers in their full glorious form are present only during mating season. Large antlers are a sign of dominance. They attract the ladies and are used in battles over breeding rights. Once breeding season is over, males shed their antlers and begin growing next year’s headwear.
Here’s where things start to get interesting.
Remember that I said that both male and female reindeer have antlers? Well, their breeding season is in the autumn. So, come the end of November/start of December, all males shed their antlers. The females, however, keep theirs until the spring, after their babies are born. The ladies get to hold onto their antlers to protect themselves and their hard to come by winter resources. This also helps ensure the survival of their unborn baby.
This means that, come Christmas eve, the only reindeer that have antlers are the females! So Santa’s reindeer, the ones that have been hauling around your Christmas presents year after year through ice and snow are undeniably female.
Reindeer have always been my favorite symbol of Christmas. In December, my house is full of them. Growing up, my mom would let us buy the “real” carrots (the ones that still have their long grassy tops) to leave out for the reindeer alongside Santa’s cookies. It’s that kind of magic that helps make the holidays come to life. So, if you look up this Christmas eve in hopes of catching a glimpse of that iconic sleigh, send a silent thank you to those girls working hard to make sure that the magic finds its way into your home too.
I wish everyone a beautiful holiday season and a very merry Christmas!
Alisha Brewer is a veteran zoo keeper of nearly 15 years. U of A alum. Boy mom, veggie dog connoisseur, anti Oxford comma and eternal optimist. Alisha hopes to connect residents to the incredible creatures that surround us.
