Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 12, 1993                   TAG: 9312160258
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TO NATIVES OF TH ARCTIC, REINDEER ARE MORE THAN A SYMBOL OF SANTA

No other arctic animal has a closer association with humans. Reindeer meat was a staple food for many pre-modern people. Today, Lapps, Eskimos and Indians depend on these animals for a variety of needs. They are almost like a horse, cow, sheep and goat, all in one. They provide milk, cheese and milk, not to mention leather, waterproof blankets and coats. Fishhooks, needles and knives are made from their bones. As pack animals, they can carry up to 200 pounds, and harnessed, they can pull even more.

Most so-called reindeer are in fact North American caribou. These animals are almost identical to the old-world variety that Santa Claus uses, except slightly larger. In North America, we commonly refer to the wild variety as caribou, and the domesticated animals as reindeer.

In addition to living at No. 1, North Pole, caribou inhabit Canada, Greenland and the Arctic Islands. In the United States, they are found in Alaska, northern Minnesota, Montana and Idaho.

Caribou spend most of their time moving from place to place in search of food. In the summer when food is plentiful, the animals feed on lichens, mosses and grass. In their continual search for food the caribou follow a regular seasonal migration across the tundra. Herds migrate in huge numbers on their annual trek across the land.

Because of their overuse and the loss of habitat areas, caribou numbers have dropped considerably. Because people are so dependent on these animals, domesticated reindeer were introduced to meet the demand. The reindeer establishment has been damaging to the native caribou herds, who must compete for food and habitat areas.

The magnificent herds of the 19th century that migrated across the tundra no longer exist. But the herds' numbers have not reached the critical point, thanks to proper management.

Caribou are true snow-loving creatures, and they're never found far from the ice and cold. Their range extends further north than any other hoofed animal, and herds are even found in the Ogilvie Range of the Canadian Yukon. Here, temperatures drop to 90 degrees below zero.

The animals are extremely well-adapted to their arctic homes, thanks to a unique winter coat. Each hair is a sealed, hollow air-filled tube. Millions of these hairs grow in a thick mat to form a two-inch deep blanket. Underneath, another layer of thick, woolly underfur also keeps body heat from escaping. This coat is so efficient that no increase in metabolism is necessary to keep the animal warm, even when the temperature drops well below zero.

Their unusual coat also allows them to swim with ease. Their air-filled hairs help keep them afloat. Coats for human wear perform the same functions. Both waterproof and buoyant, they act like life-preservers.

The rest of the caribou's body also is designed to keep the animal warm. The nose is protected with a covering of fur, and their feet are designed to plod through the snow with ease. Extra back toes, or dew claws, are large and long and serve as another pair of hooves. These appendages help the reindeer distribute its weight evenly over treacherously icy or muddy terrain, and help the animal swim smoothly, too.

Although regarded as a good-humored beast that hauls Santa about, it rarely pulls that sleigh with much gusto. A wild horse can be persuaded to harness with more ease than can a reindeer. It normally takes six months to train one of these animals.