Q 01/05

What are reindeer called in North America?

A) Bison

B) Caribou

C) Wapiti

D) Moose

Answer · why

B) Caribou

They are the same species, Rangifer tarandus; 'reindeer' is the European name and 'caribou' the North American one.

Q 02/05

What makes reindeer unique among all deer species?

A) They lack antlers entirely

B) They lay eggs in snow

C) They can climb trees

D) Females may grow antlers

Answer · why

D) Females may grow antlers

How many females have antlers varies by subspecies, but no other deer's females do at all.

Q 03/05

When do male reindeer usually lose their antlers?

A) In high midsummer

B) In the spring thaw

C) Late autumn or early winter

D) They never lose them

Answer · why

C) Late autumn or early winter

Females keep theirs until they calve, so a reindeer with antlers at Christmas is probably a female or a young male.

Q 04/05

The eyes of Arctic reindeer change colour between summer and winter. From what to what?

A) Blue to red

B) Brown to green

C) Black to white

D) Gold to blue

Answer · why

D) Gold to blue

The colour shift in the reflective tapetum lucidum helps them see in the months of continuous darkness.

Q 05/05

Reindeer can see which kind of light that humans cannot?

A) Infrared

B) Radio waves

C) Ultraviolet

D) X-rays

Answer · why

C) Ultraviolet

It helps them spot things like lichen and fur that blend into snow in ordinary light.