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Last Updated on 26th December, 2023
2 minutes, 33 seconds

Description

REINDEER

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Context

  • Researchers have discovered that the more time reindeer spend ruminating, the less time they spend in non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep.

All about Reindeer

  • The reindeer or caribou (Rangifer tarandus) is a species of deer.
  • It has a circumpolar distribution, native to the Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America.
  • It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer.
  • Reindeer occur in both migratory and sedentary populations.
  • The tundra subspecies are adapted for extreme cold, and some are adapted for long-distance migration.
  • Reindeer vary greatly in size and colour from the smallest, the Svalbard reindeer, to the largest, Osborn's caribou.
  • They are unique among deer in that females may have antlers.
  • The more time reindeer spend ruminating, the less time they spend in non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep.
  • Their habitat includes tundra and boreal forest.
  • Reindeer are ruminants, which are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals.
  • They eat mosses, herbs, ferns, and grasses when available.
  • Reindeer are social animals that live in herds of 10 to a few hundred.
  • On average, reindeer live 15 to 18 years.
  • Population density, predation, and disease seem to determine reindeer herd sizes.
  • In winter, they mainly consume lichen and fungi, scraping the snow away with their hooves to get it.
  • The IUCN has classified the reindeer as Vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements:

1.    Reindeer occur in both migratory and sedentary populations.

2.    Reindeer are social animals that live in herds of 10 to a few hundred.

3.    The IUCN has classified the reindeer as Critically Endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species.

How many of the above statements is/are incorrect?

A) Only 1

B) Only 2

C) All 3

D) None

Answer: A) Only 1

Statement 3 is incorrect.

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