Did you ever wonder what Santa's flying reindeer eat when they're not snacking on the treats we leave for them on Christmas Eve? They feast on Reindeer Lichen, of course!
Hi, this is Iain MacLeod from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
Did you ever wonder what Santa's flying reindeer eat when they're not snacking on the treats we leave for them on Christmas Eve? They feast on Reindeer Lichen, of course!
Reindeer Lichen, sometimes incorrectly called Reindeer Moss, grow abundantly throughout the reindeer's natural habitat - the arctic tundra and northern woodlands. You can even find them locally in open mountain forests and along roadsides. There are several common species, but all look like mounded gray or greenish miniature shrubs and can grow in dense, extensive mat-forming colonies.
Reindeer lichens are highly adapted to their harsh arctic environment and are a major winter food source for reindeer. The reindeer use their hooves to paw through the snow and ice to reach the lichen, and may even fight over particularly good patches. Lichens provide important carbohydrate energy, particularly when little else is available. These complex carbohydrates are broken down by special enzymes produced in the stomach of reindeer or caribou but in few other animals.
Humans can't digest reindeer lichen very well, and eating uncooked lichen can even make us sick. However, partially digested lichen from the stomachs of freshly killed reindeer can be eaten , and it is even considered a delicacy in some arctic cultures. In this form it has much greater nutritional value. It is said to taste pretty good - something like fresh green salad. But don't worry - we're pretty sure that Santa prefers gingerbread cookies.
Reindeer lichen grow very slowly indeed. Mature clumps can be more than one hundred years old! So although Rudolph and his reindeer friends love to eat lichen, it is best to leave them a special healthy snack of apples and carrots when they come to visit your house.
Seasons greeting from all of the Something Wild staff!
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. For Something Wild, I'm Iain MacLeod.
