Dashing through the snow on our homepage today, reindeer, or caribou as they are known here in North America, have been synonymous with Christmas for two centuries. American writer Clement Clarke Moore is credited with popularizing them as Santa"s helpers in the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," first published in 1823. And no wonder Santa picked them. With two layers of fur and eyes that adapt to the Arctic"s shifting light levels, reindeer are very versatile. You likely won"t see them fly, but you might find a herd migrating from tundra to forest in the North Polar Region, North America, Northern Europe, or Siberia. Their hooves can expand or shrink according to ground conditions, keeping their heavy frame stable on soft ground in summer, ice in winter, and steep rooftops at Christmas. If you"re celebrating Christmas today, we wish you a merry one.
Merry Christmas!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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China s colorful terraced pools
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Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park shines
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National Mushroom Month
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Pi Day
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Keep calm and drive on (slowly)
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The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
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Colorful cows of the reef
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Take the stairs
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World Art Day
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Henningsvær Stadion, Norway
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We re gonna need a bigger birdhouse
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Surfer s paradise
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Ice and Snow Sailing World Championships
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30 years after Exxon Valdez
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The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote
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Sequential images of a total solar eclipse
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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The otherworldly red river
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World Art Day
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Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
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Great horned owl fledglings
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Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
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National Take a Hike Day
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A wonder in winter
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It’s Canada’s national day
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Room at the top?
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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International Zebra Day
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Protecting Alaska