While Santa’s team prepares for its annual trot across the globe, two reindeer have landed at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium as part of Wild Illuminations: A Holiday Lantern Experience!

New residents Rudy Charleston and Twister arrived from Alaska and have a home for the holidays along the African Savanna path. Visitors can greet the deer at the Zoo before they move to their permanent home at the International Conservation Center in Somerset. These animals are widely recognized as seasonal celebrities, but did you know that many of the characteristics bestowed upon them by songs and sagas are somewhat based in truth?

#1 They Are Santa’s Neighbors

Reindeer share the same habitat as Santa Claus – the North Pole. They are native to the Arctic tundra and forests that surround the top of the world, including Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. These hardy animals are well adapted to the extreme cold. Hollow strands of fur on the outermost layer of their pelts trap warm air against their bodies and insulates them from the deep freeze. They can survive tough winter weather by eating lichen, a moss-like plant found in high, open spaces, that other large mammals cannot. Reindeer have cloven hooves that spread on the snow’s surface to evenly distribute their weight and prevent them from sinking, as well as help them navigate ice and snow and dig for food.

#2 Run, Rudolph, Run!

This is the time of the year when every mother’s child spies to see if reindeer really know how to fly. Well, for the most part, most reindeer stick to the ground, but they are among the world’s fastest runners! Their trotting gait might make them appear to fly as they run through powdery snow. They can run at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, although most recorded speeds are between 25-35 m.p.h. while sprinting. Reindeer are faster than many other animals of their size, which is helpful when it comes to escaping predators.

#3 To the Top of the Porch! To the Top of the Wall!

It is wise to listen for clicking up on the housetop to announce Santa’s arrival. Reindeer really do make a clicking sound when they walk. This noise is made by tendons slipping over bones in their feet. The volume and frequency of the prancing and pawing of each little hoof is believed to help members of a herd stay in contact in snowstorms or dense haze:  the perfect advantage for any sans-Rudolph foggy Christmas Eve!

#4 You Would Even Say It Glows

Speaking of the One Who Went Down in History, Rudolph might not be the only reindeer with a red nose. As noted in Smithsonian Magazine, some reindeer do have noses with a distinctive crimson hue. A study by researchers in the Netherlands indicates this is due to dense blood vessels tightly packed into the nose to circulate blood and regulate body temperature in their extreme environment. Hopefully, this does not exclude these animals from the reindeer games!

Make sure you stop and say hey to them through January 12 when you come to the Zoo to enjoy our amazing spectacle of lanterns and lights! After that, you can continue to visit them throughout the year at the International Conservation Center.