#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. In Krasnoyarsk, spring began earlier than in Norilsk, and the Royev Rouchey zoo’s pets enjoy the first warm days. Reindeer are among them. Park employees filmed them running around the enclosure and organizing short tournaments, being active.
“Such energy in artiodactyls is not mating games; these animals usually have them in October. As a rule, the deer’s behavior in the spring does not change much, except that they shed their antlers during this period”, said Royev Ruchey’s specialists.
And here are some interesting facts about these animals:
While walking, reindeer make special sounds, like clicking. They are made by these animals’ ligaments, rubbing against the joints of the legs. The legs joints are very flexible; a reindeer can scratch behind its ear with its hind leg like a dog.
Tournaments between males take place only in the presence of females. If there are no spectators, the fights will not take place. Fights rarely end in the death of the opponent – the large number of shoots on the horns prevents serious injuries and, as a rule, the weaker one just leaves. The battle looks like pushing each other and a lot of snoring. Male reindeer have a leathery pouch on their necks that amplifies the sounds the animal makes during the rut.
Growing, non-ossified horns covered with fur are called antlers; they have a spongy structure, penetrated by a huge number of vessels and filled with blood. Antler-based preparations are a powerful immunostimulating agent for preserving strength and youth, comparable only to ginseng. They slow down the aging process, improve brain function, sharpen vision and maintain male strength into old age.
Earlier, we told how deer will now be marked.
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Text: Polina Bardik, Photo: Royev Rouchey
